Work permits granted by the Obama administration to H4 dependents of H1B workers hang by a fragile thread on the other side of the New Year as a crucial case challenging employment authorisation for H4 visa holders comes up for hearing in a Washington D.C courthouse January 2, 2018 after a bruising year of anti-immigrant sentiment sweeping across America.
The case in focus is Save Jobs USA versus Department of Homeland Security. Save Jobs USA – a clutch of of IT workers who claim they lost their jobs to H1B workers – wants to overturn the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) rule that allows certain H-4 spouses to apply for and gain work authorization. Although Save Jobs USA met with initial failure, the gale force of a Trump presidency has given the organisation fresh resolve.