Been reading all the arguments and counter-arguments. Being an H4 girl first, and then being an H1 person, I can say that nobody is wrong. Everyone is right.

When I read her, I can very well relate to what she has written about the starting days. However you read H4 rules, however hard you are prepared, initial days are really frustrating. You feel like hell sitting inside home and not able to do anything. Especially, if you were a busy professional back home, the situation becomes worse. (It is nobody's fault. But when we feel bad, do we really think who is at fault?).

But, look at the second part of the post. She has beautifully written how to make use of the days fruitfully. Volunteering is a very good option. You get to socialize with people, understand culture and most importantly, remain positive in life. Also, you get to add something to your professional profile, rather than showing a blank in the H4 years.

What I did was : I prepared for certifications. Also, I kept brushing up my technical topics, kept busy and active in online technical forums. Also, increased my networking in linkedin etc. When time came after one year, I applied for my H1 and I was lucky enough to get it.

I know many H4 girls sitting and cribbing about the law. Instead, they should read this post and remain positive in life.

I would definitely like to tell you the hidden truth behind life of h4 visa holder who are mosly women- working or non working…
H4 visa women- comes to USA (no right to earn)
Please try to understand the social stigmas in a country like India ..where living alone without husband (who is working in US).
People will never let you live..you will always be bombarded with thousands of questions and disrespected (as well not only you people will point fingers on you and your parent which anyway hard for an indian girl to resist.)
So finally h4 visa women is forced to come to USA,leaving her job career.
In USA the h4 visa women (lack the ability to earn and be financially independant)becomes a victim in hands of husband and sometime phtycally,mentally and emotional torcherd.
Is it not against human rights? treated like a slave..
Is there any solution..
so the only choice left with her is to either return back to country and again be a victim in hands of society or remain in USA and be a victim of your owm husband. If US goverment considers at least a little bit of the mental situation of h4 visa women. it wld be helpful.
Or can atleast make a certain limit to earnings or can levi more taxes for her can definitly make the situation much more better
please help..Please understand…i request all the h4 visa women to stand up for there rights and request all the American women to understand the situation which is hard for me to write down on here and support H4 visa women to get the right to earn and be financially independent.

What you have loss? R u kidding me this country has given back never taken nething from nebody.

GO BACK TO INDIA

Would you rather have the H1-B contribute to the US while worrying about her/his family at home that feels enslaved? What productivity do you really expect of her/him? I doubt someone with an unhappy family can work to one's full potential.

Take a step back…would an H-1B who makes this compromise be the best of the breed? Don't you think the current policy rewards desperation more than competence?

I would disambiguate this by making H-1Bs much harder to get and opening the options to work for the families of H-1Bs.

At the very least, there is considerable inconsistency in allowing L2s to work as compared to H4s since the former have a greater chance of displacing American workers on a short-term basis by virtue of being on a non-immigrant visa. For the ignoramuses that have calling H-1B a non-immigrant visa, note that it is dual-purpose (usable for either non-immigrant or immigration purposes).