A federal court in California has given temporary relief to seven H-4 visa holders who challenged the US government’s decision to end automatic extensions of work permits. However, the ruling is limited to these seven people and does not bring back automatic EAD extensions for all H-4 spouses.
The seven H-4 EAD holders approached the court after the Department of Homeland Security ended automatic extensions for certain employment authorization documents. The change affected H-4 spouses of H-1B workers as well.
The California court has now issued a preliminary injunction in favour of the seven plaintiffs. The judge questioned whether the government followed the proper legal process while bringing in the rule. The court found concerns with the decision to skip the normal public notice and comment process.
