(Image source from: Indiawest.com)

The Trump administration’s attempt to end work permit for H4 visa holders has raised apprehension among scores of H4 and H-1B visa holders.

These visa holders have been attending rallies, visiting support groups and consulting with attorneys regarding what may be the next step for many who have gained employment through H4 EAD in the United States.

In February, a petition was launched on the White House website appealing for the U.S. government not to revoke the H4 EAD. The petition, titled “H4 EAD – Please do not revoke the H4 EAD policy,” was started by IT Pro Alliance, a non-profit trade group of information technology professionals across the United States.

    Image source: The American Bazaar

The H4 EAD is an Employment Authorization Document (Form I-766) that is granted to individuals holding an H4 visa after some requirements are met.

The petition says: “ITPro Alliance Petitions and requests the Government to Continue The H4-EAD’s. Please keep skilled workers at jobs. Thank you!”

The new Jersey-based Alliance, which has chapters across the country, thinks that the petition will compel authorities to take notice of the potential serious repercussions of scrapping the H4 EAD.

If 100,000 signatures are gathered in 30 days, the petition will be reviewed by the authorities and would make sure that the issue will be brought before the appropriate policy experts, mandating an official response.

As of on Monday, the petition, which was started on February 22, had received 39,149 signatures, which means it would need nearly 61,000 more signatures to get an official response from the administration.

“We are hopeful that if everyone understands and signs the petition we can get much more than 100,000 signatures, even to the tune of 300,000 to 600,000 if all the current, aspiring H4 EAD applicants as well as their spouses and those who have been through the H-1B to Green Card route, too, were to sign the petition,” Dan Nandan, an official of the IT Pro Alliance, told the American Bazaar.

As cited by American Bazaar Nandan further said: “I believe the revoking of H4EAD may lead to a bigger mess. Already many of those who are on H4EAD are trying to apply for H-1B to secure their jobs. Now, if most of the Indians on H4EAD were to do that, we would already have enough applicants who are currently in the U.S. to apply for H-1B thus curtailing the chance of any new Indians coming to the U.S.”

Supporters also said that by taking away the work permit from H4 visa holders, the Trump administration may, in fact, further strain the American economy, as well as the immigration system.

-Sowmya Sangam