Published by NDTV - 01, September 2026
Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n62WVAbgDVI
Quotes and Excerpts from Rajiv in the video:
Rajiv Khanna, managing attorney at the Law Office of Rajiv Khanna in Virginia, explained the regulatory timeline surrounding the proposed end to H-4 work permits, noting that deregulation follows the same rigorous procedure as regulation. He detailed that the proposal must be published in the Federal Register, followed by a 30 to 60-day public notice and comment period. Depending on the volume of comments—which could potentially reach hundreds of thousands—it could take the government months to review and address them before any effective date is published.
Addressing the immediate fears of current permit holders, Rajiv reassured that those currently working are not in immediate danger. “They should not cancel the existing work authorization simply because there are some difficult issues of due process as well as legality of ex post facto laws. You are making something effective to people who have already earned the right, so there should be some grace period at least for the people who already have these work authorizations,” he said [03:29].
When asked about the political motivations and the broader impact on Indians, Rajiv characterized the move as "political grandstanding" and criticized the lack of factual, bipartisan studies backing such changes. “For a first-world nation, it is abysmal the way we draft our laws and policy without any study, without any basis, with a knee-jerk reaction. Immigration being the favorite whipping horse of politicians on the right, we end up with results that make absolutely no sense,” he noted [04:41].
He concluded that pushing forward with the H-4 spouse visa ban without economic rationale is a situation where "we are cutting our nose to spite our faces" [05:40].