Works in Progress
Immigration and Families
Moderator: Denise L. Gilman, The University of Texas School of Law
H-4 Visaholders and the U.S. Immigration System
Sabrina Balgamwalla, University of Baltimore School of Law
The H1-B “specialty occupation” visa program created a path to immigration and permanent residence for tens of thousands of workers in the technology industry and other professional sectors. The program also offers visas to spouses and children in the form of H-4s—what would appear to be an improvement over early U.S. labor-based immigration policies that did not allow for immigration of family members. In practice, these H-4 spouses enjoy a fraction of the rights accorded to their spouses. Immigration laws systematically deny H-4 visa holders autonomous rights, including the rights to work, independently regularize their immigration status, and preserve family unity. What rights H-4s do have—including the right to remain in th