H-4 EAD COMMENT PERIOD HAS ENDED

Earlier this year the USCIS proposed a rule that, if enacted will allow H-4 spouses to file for work authorization.  The rule, if passed as drafted, will allow H-4 spouses of H-1B holders to obtain EAD employment authorization.

Under the law, when a new rule such as this is proposed, the USCIS must give the public 60 days to comment on the proposed rule.  That comment period ended on Friday July 11.  The USCIS will now sort through the comments.  Computerworld notes that adoption of the proposed rule is “all but assured.”  The timing of the “assured” approval is unknown at this time.

The Computerworld article has an interesting discussion about the types of comments that have been received and how an automated tool can mine the comments for trends.  For instance, out of 6,035 non-unique comments, “453 were exact duplicates of 10 different comments.”