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The truth about H-4.

Article Excerpt
My acquaintance with the H-4 visa dates back to February 2002, when I arrived in New Jersey as a married woman, with an H-4 visa and very little understanding about the US immigration system. I was naive at best, and ignorant to put it bluntly, when I assumed that my education, work experience with multinational companies and proficiency in English would soon fetch me a legal job in the US. It is the land of opportunities after all, where hard work and talent is recognized. It has been more than four years since then and I am still on an H-4 visa. I am not eligible for a social security number or benefits, although we pay social security tax; my visa status does not permit me to work, and universities in New Jersey do not consider me for in-state tuition. One more thing--I am not alone.

The current law allows 65000 aliens to come into the US with H-1B visas as temporary workers in a specialized occupation every year. Most of them bring their spouses on dependent H-4 visas. The H-4 visa has three extremely significant conditions attached to it: it is completely dependent on the marital relationship between the principal H-1B holder and the dependent spouse. Secondly, it...

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