Harrowing Tales Of Indian Immigrant Women Who Moved To US On Dependent Visas

Indian Americans are at the forefront once again in US politics as the Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris takes centerstage against Donald Trump in the upcoming do or die race for the White House.

Not far behind from grabbing headlines is the Republican Vice President nominee JD Vance's Indian wife, Usha Chilukuri-Vance - a practicing Hindu with roots in Andhra Pradesh.

Photo Credit: Unsplash

Both Harris and Chilukuri-Vance are children of immigrant parents who struggled their way up like many Indians who migrate to the US to fulfill their great American dream.

I moved to the US in 2022 for my Masters knowing that the 2-3 years of hard work and struggle would fetch me my dream job. However, things weren't rosy for Megha Kumari, Alfa Baldiwala, Supriya Mohan and many other Indian women who moved to the US on dependent visas.

Moving overseas to a different country is a difficult task. It is akin to rerooting a plant to a different location without any guarantee of survival. The choice to live an immigrant life comes with loss of community and struggle with identity.

Kumari believes one must have a fully laid out plan before moving to a new country. She says, "I was naive, and had no understanding of what it is like to live in the United States".

Baldiwala migrated to the US in 2014 and had a tough time getting a Social Security Number (SSN), driving license, medical insurance, or Employment Authorization Document (EAD). She came to the US after marriage.

Baldiwala now regrets not preparing herself for the challenges before migrating and the stress of living on a dependent visa.

When a highly skilled worker from a foreign country is employed in the US, they are handed over an H1B visa permitting them to work here. Meanwhile, their families are issued H4 visas.

Indian-Americans make up to 1.2% of the US population, they are the second largest group of Asian-Americans as well as immigrant group after Mexicans. According to USCIS 93% of the H4 (Dependent) visa holders are women.

Dependent immigrants who are not yet eligible to apply for a green card are banned from working entirely. Since most women fall under this category, many call H4 an 'involuntary housewife visa.'

It is termed as 'involuntary' because most of the time women are unaware of the nuances and restrictions of being on a dependent visa.

What drives these women to move to the US on dependent visas?

India majorly being a patriarchal society looks upon their daughters as a possession that needs to be safely transferred to her husband through the practice of marriage.

27-year-old Supriya says, "The families in India believe that if you're a girl child, your qualification, job, earnings don't matter. They just want to get you married."

Men take all important decisions in the family, including marriage. Not all women are forced into marriage as many Westerners believe, but it is rather arranged by the families.

Alfa adds, "The decision of finding a person for me was of my family's. They felt this would be a good match, and my life would be better after marriage."

Most Indian women happily hop on the overseas voyage thinking that this is how the institution of marriage works, but the reality hits them hard later.

So, who is to be blamed? Marriage or the US immigration system?

Social media also plays an important role in painting a rosy picture of life in the West.
"I was really excited to move to the US, especially after watching instagram reels of the country", Supriya recalls. She still plans trips to the places she watched on reels.

Challenges faced by women on dependent visa

These women move to the US with a desire to live a life which is otherwise difficult for many married females in India mainly due to restrictions from the in-laws and society.

They also intend to expand their careers with the opportunities this vast country offers. Oftentimes, they are unaware of the restrictions imposed upon different visa types.

Megha said, "It was a huge shock for me when I got to know that you cannot work on H4 visa." Hence, an educated and ambitious woman like her, ends up becoming a housewife.

Supriya adds, "Not being able to get what you want on your own, is something very difficult to deal with."

These women often become a liability on their husbands. Being financially dependent fills them with guilt, shame, and frustration. To make up for it they take up the responsibility of household chores and parenting.

"Entire responsibility of the house is on you, the man only brings money home, but you have to do everything else after that", Supriya says.

Megha says the most challenging part for her was not getting a job in finance despite earning an MBA from San Diego State University. Hence, she changed her career path and later landed a job after 5 long years.

Due to the career switch, they often don't get their desired jobs, but it's any day better than sitting at home and doing nothing.

Alfa is thankful to the Obama administration for bringing the H4 Employment Authorisation Document (EAD). Under this rule, dependents of H1B who are at a certain stage of their green card process, can apply for work authorisation.

Yet this is just partial relief, the US government must take cognisance of the delay in issuing EAD and green cards. Many legal immigrants who have lived for 15-20 years in the States are not able to find stability due to uncertainty of their visa status.

According to Michael Bailey, an expert in the US corporate immigration law, the delay in getting a green card is not going to improve anytime soon. It is due to the decade old immigration laws and increasing demand that has led to a backlog.

This might take years to clear unless there is a technical advancement or change in the laws.