Doors to work permits for H-1B spouses remain open

The US Supreme Court has declined to review a lower court’s decision upholding the H-4 Employment Authorization Document (EAD) rule, which allows spouses of H-1B visa holders to work. This means that the EAD rule will continue to stay, bringing relief to a significant number of Indian spouses. The rule was introduced in 2015 to address the backlog in obtaining employment-based green cards. A study by the Cato Institute shows that around 1.07 million Indians are caught up in the green card backlog, with a wait time of up to 134 years.