![\"\"](\"http:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/PAGE-H4Visa-01.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nSome participants mentioned that their wives had to sit idle at home due to visa restrictions, which resulted in boredom:<\/b><\/p>\n
\u201cDependent Visa does not allow my spouse to work whereas she used to work in India. Hence sitting idle does create complications;\u201d \u201cKeeping spouse busy or occupied is a challenge;\u201d \u201cHave to spend more time with the spouse to make her feel comfortable in USA;\u201d \u201cLooking for other opportunities so that my wife can accomplish something without sitting idle, so there is lot of planning and patience that is essential to keep her happy;\u201d \u201cWife\u2019s bored, doesn\u2019t have friends here and feels down after a while.\u201d<\/p>\n
There were also participants who reported that their wives faced social isolation<\/b> due to work restrictions. When wives of expatriates are given the opportunity to work, it helps them to culturally adapt to new place by creating social networks and interacting with local people:<\/p>\n
\u201cMy wife used to work in India but due to her status in USA, she was not able to work and was restricted to home making only, which resulted in some mental dissatisfaction and other issues;\u201d \u201cWork opportunities and socializing exposure is important for spouse as well. It would be difficult for them to understand the outside environment;\u201d \u201cMy wife is on dependent visa and is on \u2018house arrest\u2019 for last 5 years which makes it difficult for her to get exposed to \u2018American\u2019 environment, work culture, social life & social interactions. For a person who was working in India and came to U.S. thinking big, her \u2018American Dream\u2019 has been anything but a disappointment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Many participants also mentioned feeling burdened by having to be the single-earner for their household as an expatriate which led to financial issues:<\/b><\/p>\n \u201cThe place where I live is very expensive, it would be good if both of us work for financial stability;\u201d \u201cJust the financial concerns\u2026had she been working, it would be easier for me to pay rent;\u201d \u201cSpouse has to study to get work permit, this would be challenging for families with kids.\u201d<\/p>\n Participants also mentioned that their spouses felt frustrated <\/b>due to not being able to further their careers:<\/p>\n \u201cSpouse is feeling restless to do something;\u201d \u201cSpouse cannot work on dependent visa. Very unfair to her, so going back to India;\u201d \u201cMy wife was working in India for 7\/8 years and always enjoyed her work. It\u2019s really frustrating to be an MBA and forced to be a housewife;\u201d \u201cMy wife is frustrated that she is unable to further her career\u201d<\/p>\n There were many participants who reported that they faced domestic tension<\/b> due to their wives\u2019 career restrictions:<\/p>\n \u201cViews mismatch, fights, disturbances, financial issues, spouse feels complex in mixing with working spouses of friends, life style changes;\u201d \u201cWe went through several periods of domestic tensions due to unhappiness to my wife. Also, the expense related to getting through graduate school added to the tensions\u201d<\/p>\n Some participants also noted that their wives suffered from loss of respect<\/b> and low confidence<\/b> levels:<\/p>\n \u201cMy wife feels like she doesn\u2019t get due respect among American neighbors who don\u2019t understand the visa limitations for work;\u201d \u201cThe dependent visa situation and significant delay we had in getting the green card almost destroyed my professional wife\u2019s confidence to such an extent its now impossible to imagine a job leave alone a career\u201d<\/p>\n Vijayakumar and Cunningham are concerned that policy changes like the one being considered for America are often made in the absence of complete information that might help policy makers better understand the true breadth of likely consequences.<\/p>\n The data for the present study were collected in the year 2014, a time when dependent spouse of H-1B expatriates were similarly not allowed to work (i.e., before the previous presidential administration made changes to this policy that are now in jeopardy of reversal).<\/p>\n These researchers anticipate the situation that may develop in coming months will be more critical and difficult for expatriate families than what was experienced in 2014, as many of these individuals who were temporarily benefited by the previous presidential administration\u2019s immigration policies may have, in this time, bought a home or started their own businesses.<\/p>\n These major life events may soon have to be reversed or undone in some way if spousal work permits are cancelled. It is also important to note that the unpredictability of these impending changes to American visa restrictions will not only cause financial strain, but is already also causing psychological burden on families, particularly the spouses of expatriates in these families.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Furthermore, cancelling work permits for spouses could negatively affect business operations for major IT companies. These researchers hope that sharing this research can encourage policy makers to more fully consider the implications of visa-related policy changes on expatriates\u2019 spouses, families, employing organizations, and broader communities.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\n