Sunday, December 30, 2012

Painful Journey of H4-Visa Holder in the United States

America has always been the land of opportunity for the people around the world, but at the same time it has been curse for the spouses of the H1B visa holders. More than 65,000 caps for H1B visas are issued each year who can work and stay inside the country for six years. Although the spouses of H1B visa holders can come and dwell inside the United States in dependent status (H4 visa), they are not permitted to make any form of earning during their stay. None could have imagined the dependent of H1B will be required to limit their talent inside the household chores for six years. Especially, in that country who always takes initiatives to uplift the life of people across the world and who discuss humanitarian, justice, equal opportunity and diversity on a daily basis. There are no cultures in the world that is against for living married couple together. H1B visa holders are the qualified and educated alien helping America to enhance their economy with their extraordinary skill. Are we doing justice by abandoning H4 visa holders to live productive life, despite their higher qualifications?
Some people argue that it will not be prudent to provide work permission for H4 visa holders, particularly at this critical period of recession when many Americans are jobless. However, there are also other temporary visas given to foreign workers to work inside the country. L1 and J1 are the examples of those visas whose dependents are allowed to work. Additionally, each year 55,000 diversity visas are granted to the people of lesser represented countries through lottery, but it is not apparent that anybody has calculated the number of job they are taking from American's hand. Furthermore, what about the cost for the time of adjustment needed due to language and cultural barriers? In contrast, H1B visa holders are educated and qualified and they are supposed to marry an educated partner. Consequently, their spouses can enhance the economy of the country by creating job through small business and can contribute in the under-served areas where there is shortage of skillful workers. More importantly, as they are already living in the United States there is more probability for them to understand the culture and environment of America. Indeed, providing opportunity to work for the h4 visa holders is like decreasing a drop of water from the ocean of country's job. If a spouse who is qualified, but needs to ask even for a penny with their partner because in the United States he/she is not allowed to have any sort of income, then this does not only paralyze his/her dream, but also make them victim of the domestic violence which may ultimately affect them psychologically and physically. Since most of the H4 visa holders are women, domestic violence is the serious issue that need to be addressed in order to protect the women from being abused. United States Citizenship and Immigration services (USCIS) revealed that Victims of domestic violence who suffered physical or emotional abuse can obtain a Green Card through  Self-Petitioning Process and the other one is through U Nonimmigrant Status (U Visa). Even though immigration law provides immigration relief for the victims of domestic violence, as always prevention is better than cure. For detail information please visit USCIS website.
Moreover, rather than abandoning them from any sort of income, United States can enforce certain limitation and can take advantage from H4 visa holders who are qualified and skillful to uplift the nation's economy. For instance, legalizing them to work in those occupations which have shortages of qualified workers, those under-served areas where no qualified person want to work and giving permission to open a business which can create job for Americans. In America, there is shortage of nurses and there are no visas which allow foreign nurses to work temporarily. Of course, bringing nurses from the other country is not a long-term solution. Nevertheless, allocating those nurses who have passed licensure exam of the state and residing inside the country can relieve this shortage even in a smaller amount. United States can develop strategies side by side in order to produce more nurses. Likewise, inhibiting dependent visa holder to open their own business can help create more jobs.
          Among all of the H1B visa holders, if only half of them are married, then also every year more than 30,000 H4 visa holders enter inside the United states and within six years it will be more than 1,80,000 who are compelled to live non productive life inside the states. If appropriate policy is made to utilize those qualified individuals who are already reside in the country, this will not solely provide justice to the sufferer, but also boost the economy of the country. 

Friday, December 7, 2012

My Especial Message for H4 Visa Holders

The majority of people throughout the world have a dream to come America. Since it is the country of immigrants, everybody feel safe to be here. Despite this fact, if you are the one like me in H4 status, it must be heart wrenching for you to pass even a single moment in the United States. This country is set up in such a way that whoever comes here carry a big dream. Yes, I was one of them, but unfortunately for a moment my dream was totally broken into pieces because of my status. Although I knew that coming United States in H4 status would prohibit me from working and earning even a single dollar, I never took it seriously because I believed in myself. My ambition to achieving more induced me to assert that those narrow words cannot bind my vision of life. My pursuit of experiencing American dream made me unsighted for a moment. After coming here, there was a moment when I was panicked, frustrated and depressed because of not being able to make my life self-sustainable as I had wished for. However, later on I realized everything happens for a reason. In fact, coming America was not an accident, but was a privileged opportunity for me.
It is a human nature to expect more than what we have already accomplished in our life, which is obviously not a negative aspects of being human being. Your willingness to achieve more will help you explore more opportunities in your life. If you look back towards happy and sad moment or successes and failures in your life, then this will provide the clue for what you have achieved and what things are still left to be achieved. If you are prudent, you can use the lesson from your past which will assist you to climb one more step in the ladder of your life. I was not stable kind of person who liked to sit in home doing nothing. Even though, I was not sure where I want to see myself after certain year, I always know that what I will or what I am going to do next after finishing my present task. My journey of America begins by achieving driving license, which I had mentioned in the initial post of my blog "My Journey to America I". After, I passed RN licensure exam from Texas Board of Nursing, I started researching articles related to nursing and shortages of nursing in the United States.
During this journey, I began writing my blog, which helped me realize that I enjoyed writing and researching. Additionally, I engaged myself working as a volunteer and participated several free seminars/training related to healthcare and nursing. I got opportunity to meet really the incredible people who had inspired and appreciated my work. However, after certain time I felt like what next? I cannot deny the fact that I will not be able to spend my whole life by doing volunteering work, somewhere the feelings of not having productive life used to kill me. I was slowly understanding how it felt to be dependent and not allowed to work (because of H4 status) despite your expertise in the most demanding field. Initially, I did not take seriously for the crisis that I was going through and questioned myself why I am thinking like this?, Is it only me in such situation?, why even a small thing irritates me?, etc. Then, after seeking helps from my former teachers, friends, family, relatives and similar interest groups, I made determination to pursue master degree. At this time, when I turn around and look back for each and every phase, I feel that these moments of ups and downs matters a lot to me and these experiences have been lucrative to me.
Despite whining for what you cannot do in your H4 status, you can make your journey of America worthwhile by engaging yourself in some sort of activities which you really enjoy doing most. Indeed, blaming yourself that you cannot do anything because you are not given permission to work is just an excuse, but not a reason for impeding your potential. You just need to set broad horizon to open the door of your own scope and to enlighten the prospective of being you.
"I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious."
                                                                      -Albert Einstein