US: H-1B Dependents In India Exempt From US travel Ban

The H-1B visa dependents and spouses (H4 visa holders) are now exempted from US travel ban. Also, the spouses and dependents of L and J visa holders will now be allowed to travel back to the US exempting them from the June 22 directive of Trump administration.

The directive earlier suspended the non-immigrant visas due to the unemployment and economic crisis that emerged due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As per the presidential proclamation does not allow anyone on H-1B, H4, J1, and H2A visas without a valid visa as of June 24th to travel to the US, until December 31 this year.

The dependents will be allowed back in the US, only if the primary applicant is currently in the US. Also, there is an exempt on H-1B visa holders, but only if they are needed to work in support of a critical US Foreign policy objective or if the US government requests them to travel. This exempt is only for certain selective H and J visas.

This amendment in the US Travel ban on foreign workers seems to be the result of a lawsuit filed by 174 Indian nationals against the US presidential proclamation suspending the non-immigrant visas till year-end. Reportedly, there are more than 1000 people stranded in India due to the embassy closure, flight restrictions followed by the travel ban in the US.