Spouses of H-1Bs not entitled to automatic renewal of work permits, says US district court | Business – Times of India Videos

A US district court has observed that spouses of H-1Bs aren’t entitled to automatic renewal of work permits. To mitigate the difficulties arising owing decades-long green-card backlog for those immigrants from certain countries, such as India, the Obama administration had introduced the EAD program in 2015. This enables spouses of certain categories of H-1B visa holders (such as those on track for a green card) to apply for an EAD, which enables them to work. Judge Corley in her order, explained the legalities of the automatic extension, which is available to H-1B holders only. “The regulation’s text is clear: when an EAD renewal petition relies on the adjudication of another petition, the petitioner is not eligible for automatic renewal of the work authorization. For H-4 visa holders, the EAD renewal petition requires adjudication of two applications before the petitioner is eligible for renewal of the EAD: the spouse’s H1-B renewal petition and the H-4 visa renewal. Thus, H-4 visa holders are not entitled to automatic renewal of their EAD.”