Published by: The Indian Express - November 02 , 2025
https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/automatic-ead-extensions-us-work-impact-immigrants-indian-10341486/
Quotes and Excerpts from Rajiv in the article:
Virginia-based Immigration attorney Rajiv Khanna added that the policy “completely removes the H-4 EAD protection,” which was already fragile. “For H-4 EADs, which are the most impacted, the problem is that whenever your EAD expires, your status also expires. It really wasn’t helping a lot of people, but there was at least a sense of comfort that we had extra time. Even that’s gone now.” “For Indian nationals, this is particularly severe,” he added. “For most other countries, the green card queue is current. Indians are backlogged for years, so this 540-day protection was a crucial buffer.”
H-4 visa holders apply for an EAD renewal every three years, but the policy change will lead to a major disruption, Khanna said.
Khanna agreed, adding, “There is a substantial subset of Indian H-4 spouses. If they do not have the ability to work, a lot of talent and education are being wasted. The impact is not just economic, there’s a cumulative psychological impact, a kind of slow death by a thousand cuts.”
Khanna said, “People on the H-4 visa have already been vetted. They haven’t just come into the United States through any back door. So, it appears to be more of a pretext than a genuine attempt to correct any problem.”
“Every regulation that needs to be changed must go through a notice-and-comment period,”
Khanna said. “This interim final rule completely circumvents that, manufacturing an emergency which doesn’t exist. They announced it on October 29, saying that from the next day, you will not have this protection. That’s not how governance by law should work.”
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