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Comment by peferron | Hacker News Reader

H-4 holders (spouses of H-1B, for the uninitiated) should be allowed to work. That they don't is inhuman and de facto hurts women, since the overwhelming majority of H-1B holders (at least in the Valley) are men. It's forcing women into a stay-at-home role as if it were the 50s. It's especially hard for H-4s because they are newcomers to the USA who may not have local friends or family. My wife went through it for a while and it's incredibly isolating.

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I was an h1b holder working in Silicon Valley. My wife not being able to work was the main reason why we left after 2 years. Kind of silly to go through that whole song and dance of getting a skilled person to move across the world only to treat the spouse as if the only purpose they have is home keeping.

Same with the TN visa. Spouses of Australian citizens can work though on the E3 visa.

I know a bunch of people on H-4, it's really really sad :/

Same thing with F-2 holders (spouses of F-1 student visas). In contrast, J-2 holders (spouses of J-1 exchange students) are allowed to work.

That's a great point. Specially because L-2 holders can work. I never understood why it was different for H-4

It is unfortunate that the feminist movement in SV, who are very vocal about the plight of women in the tech workforce, have been silent about the current administration's attempts to revoke H4-EAD.

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