Biden Govt To Suspend Biometric Requirements For Processing H4-EAD Visas

The USCIS will suspend biometrics for all H4-EAD applications from May 17, said the lawyers at Wasden Banias, an immigration law firm.

This is expected to help speed up processing times for visa extensions and employment authorization for spouses of H-1B and L1 visa holders in the US.

The move came in response to a class-action lawsuit filed by the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and Wasden Banias.

The USCIS will be making more information about this requirement available to the public in the coming days.

There have been several delays in processing the EAD for H4 visa holders, over 90% of whom are Indian women.

"It's painful for the more than 100,000 people who have lost work because of government ineptitude. It is the first step in fixing this problem.", said Jonathan Wasden, partner, Wasden Banias.

"The delays that H-4 and L-2 non-immigrants are facing needlessly place families in financial limbo…. The DHS can and must revoke the unnecessary biometrics requirements for H-4 and L-2 non-immigrants and provide automatic work authorization. At the same time, DHS processes EAD renewal requests and allow EAD applicants to file their renewal applications sooner than 180 days before EAD expiration to prevent gaps in work authorization," Jennifer Minear, President of AILA, had said while filing the lawsuit.