H-4 Dependent Visas (Spouses & Children)
Guide
Your eligible family members can join you in the U.S. on H-4visas, tied to your H-1B status. Learn what you need to know in this overview of H-4 Dependent Visas for spouses and children.
Written by Robin Catmur-Smith, Managing Director of the International Student Resource Center
Last updated: July, 2026
Who qualifies
H-1B status is for your spouse and your unmarried children under 21 (same-sex spouses qualify if the marriage is legally valid where celebrated). Domestic partners, fiancés, and other relatives don't qualify. H-4 status is always tied to your H-1B status.
Bringing your family
Dependents may come with you or join later, if you show sufficient funding and they obtain H-4 visas. They will need to show your approved H-1B petition when they apply for the visas; the process mirrors the H-1B visa process (DS-160, fees, interview).
Working and school
An H-4 spouse is not eligible to apply for work permission until the H-1B visa holder has reached a certain stage in the U.S. permanent resident process. Once the H-1B has an approved I-140 petition, the H-4 spouse may apply for a temporary work card. See details on this process here. Once the EAD is approved the H-4 can work full- or part-time, any employer, any field.
H-4 children may attend public or private K-12 school, and college in H-4 status. They can't work, and need their own visa status to stay past 21.
Travel and your H-1B status
Your dependents can usually remain in the U.S. while you travel briefly, as long as your H-1B status stays active and they maintain H-4 status. If your H-1B status ends, theirs ends too. If you are outside the U.S. for more than a few weeks, your dependents should leave the U.S. until you return. If you don’t have a status in the U.S. because you have left the country, then technically they don’t either.
