H–4 Work Authorization Act

H-4 Work Authorization Act

This bill provides automatic employment authorization to a non-U.S. national (alien under federal law) admitted into the United States as a spouse of an H-1B visa holder (a nonimmigrant worker who is in a special occupation or a fashion model).

Currently, a spouse of an H-1B visa holder must apply separately to receive employment authorization.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7442 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7442

To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to direct the Secretary of 
Homeland Security to provide employment authorization to certain alien 
                    spouses, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 7, 2022

 Ms. Bourdeaux (for herself and Ms. Salazar) introduced the following 
       bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to direct the Secretary of 
Homeland Security to provide employment authorization to certain alien 
                    spouses, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``H-4 Work Authorization Act''.

SEC. 2. EMPLOYMENT AUTHORIZATION FOR CERTAIN ALIEN SPOUSES.

    Section 214(e) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
1184(e)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) In the case of an alien spouse admitted under section 
        101(a)(15)(H)(i)(b), who is accompanying or following to join a 
        principal alien admitted under such section, the Secretary of 
        Homeland Security shall authorize the alien spouse to engage in 
        employment in the United States incident to status and provide 
        the spouse with an `employment authorized' endorsement or other 
        appropriate work permit.''.
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