MrTinMan

[MrTinMan @MattTheTinMan]

@ChiefEngineerCE I’ve lost count of how many data breach notices I’ve received from healthcare-related companies. There’s one sitting on my dining room table right now.

[MrTinMan @MattTheTinMan]

@ChiefEngineerCE Maximize your 401k contributions on day 1 to what the IRS allows. If you can’t do that, at least contribute up to the max your company matches.

[MrTinMan @MattTheTinMan]

@Selene_Mariposa Well, it’s Congress, so making the wrong choice is unsurprising.

[MrTinMan @MattTheTinMan]

@ChiefEngineerCE And neither party acts like they want this stopped. Kinda hard not to feel like a sucker going to work, saving and investing, etc.

[MrTinMan @MattTheTinMan]

@AMAZlNGNATURE @grok please provide more context

[MrTinMan @MattTheTinMan]

@ChiefEngineerCE H4 was done via an executive order. Trump could undo it with his own executive order. Why not start there?

[MrTinMan @MattTheTinMan]

Network network network. Talk to friends, family, former coworkers, for,er teachers, people you go to church with, people you’ve met thru kids’ sports, scouts, etc. You’d be surprised who people know and how much they’re willing to help. My son got an interview and eventually a job with a company because I mentioned what he did and what he was looking for to a friend of mine from martial arts. This friend just happened to have a friend in my son’s industry and said “pass along his resume and I’ll send it to my friend.”

[MrTinMan @MattTheTinMan]

An H-4 visa does not automatically grant the right to work. To work legally, an H-4 spouse must apply for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) through USCIS. Furthermore, they are only eligible to apply if their H-1B spouse has reached a specific milestone in the permanent residency (Green Card) process—specifically, an approved Form I-140 petition. 
Because of this workflow, USCIS tracks the data based on approved Form I-765 (Application for Employment Authorization) filings.

Based on the most recent USCIS and demographic tracking reports, the landscape looks like this:

Total Approvals: Since the H-4 EAD rule was implemented, well over 170,000 to 200,000 H-4 spouses have been approved for work authorization.

Active Workforce: Because EADs must be renewed concurrently with H-4 status extensions, independent economic and policy analyses estimate the steady-state active H-4 workforce at roughly 90,000 to 100,000 active workers at any given time.

Demographics and Fields of Work
While USCIS tracks the raw number of approved work permits, they do not require applicants to log their employer or job title when filing for an EAD. An H-4 EAD is an "open market" work permit, meaning the holder can work for any employer in any industry. 

However, independent research—such as studies by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) utilizing National Survey of College Graduates data—estimates that roughly 40% to 42% of employed H-4 visa holders work in STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). The next largest segments work in corporate finance, business management, and healthcare administration.

The H-4 Employment Authorization Document (EAD) was created via executive regulatory action rather than a new act of Congress. Following a policy directive announced by President Barack Obama in late 2014, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a formal federal regulation change. The final rule was published in the Federal Register in February 2015 and officially took effect on May 26, 2015.

[MrTinMan @MattTheTinMan]

@ChiefEngineerCE

Based on the latest data from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Homeland Security Statistics, there are approximately 1.7 million temporary workers actively residing and working in the United States. The tracking system breaks these workers down by their specific visa programs, which dictate the industry or professional field they can work in.

1. High-Tech & Corporate Specialty Occupations (H-1B, E-3, H-1B1)
Estimated Population: ~750,000 to 800,000 workers
Primary Fields: Information Technology (software engineering, data analysis), Corporate Finance, Engineering, Healthcare, and Academic Research.
Context: This is the largest single cohort of foreign professionals. The tech sector heavily relies on this category, with a significant majority of these professionals originating from India.

2. Corporate Executive & Multi-National Transferees (L-1)
Estimated Population: ~150,000 to 180,000 workers
Primary Fields: Multi-national corporate management, operations, and specialized company logistics.
Context: These are intracompany transferees. They are specialized knowledge workers, managers, or executives transferred from a foreign branch of a company to its U.S. headquarters or office. 

3. International Trade & Investment Professionals (E-1, E-2)
Estimated Population: ~100,000 to 120,000 workers
Primary Fields: Import/export business operations, corporate investments, entrepreneurship, and specialized international commerce.
Context: Reserved for treaty traders and investors from countries that maintain official commerce treaties with the U.S.

4. High-Level Regional Professionals (TN / USMCA)
Estimated Population: ~120,000 to 150,000 workers
Primary Fields: Management Consulting, Scientific Research, Accounting, Teaching, and Engineering.
Context: These are professional citizens of Canada and Mexico working under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

5. Seasonal Agricultural Labor (H-2A)
Estimated Population: ~250,000 to 300,000 workers (steady-state resident population, though total annual entries are much higher due to rapid seasonal rotation)
Primary Fields: Crop harvesting, planting, livestock handling, and farm equipment operation.
Context: Heavily utilized in major farming states like California, Florida, and Georgia. The vast majority of these workers are citizens of Mexico. 

6. Seasonal Non-Agricultural Labor (H-2B)
Estimated Population: ~70,000 to 90,000 workers
Primary Fields: Hospitality (hotels, resorts), Landscaping, Seafood Processing, Forestry, and Amusement Parks.
Context: Strictly for temporary, non-agricultural positions where employers face a shortage of domestic labor to meet peak seasonal demands.

7. Extraordinary Ability, Sports, & Entertainment (O-1, P-1)
Estimated Population: ~50,000 to 70,000 workers
Primary Fields: Motion pictures and television, professional athletics, fine arts, high-end scientific research, and commercial entertainment groups.
Context: The O-1 visa tracks individuals with a sustained record of national or international acclaim in their field, while P visas track professional athletes and performing artists.

Note on a Hidden Workforce (F-1 OPT): In addition to the official 1.7 million temporary worker visas listed above, there are roughly 200,000 to 250,000 international students working legally in corporate and technical fields. They are here on F-1 Optional Practical Training (OPT), which allows recent graduates from U.S. universities to work in their field of study for up to three years without switching to a traditional work visa.

And then there is the H4……

[MrTinMan @MattTheTinMan]

@RepPatFallon How about changing the laws instead of hoping the Executive branch addresses it?

[MrTinMan @MattTheTinMan]

@ChiefEngineerCE Company or university….any entity receiving tax dollars…total workforce. Domestic talent replacement goes beyond just engineers and scientists.

[MrTinMan @MattTheTinMan]

@ChiefEngineerCE @Polymarket And what exactly are people betting on here?

[MrTinMan @MattTheTinMan]

@AndrewKerrNC He meant everyone else….not him. 🙄

[MrTinMan @MattTheTinMan]

@ChiefEngineerCE Great workers in the wrong place at the wrong time lose their jobs because an exec has a number to hit. There is no job that is secure at a public company when a business only focuses the next quarter’s results.

[MrTinMan @MattTheTinMan]

@AuH2Owasright @EnergyAbsurdity My guess is the price is higher near your office due to a combination of higher demand (more ppl stopping there for gas) and higher site cost (real estate value and local taxes)

[MrTinMan @MattTheTinMan]

@bumbadum14 My adult kids cannot afford medical insurance, but, sure, just take my tax $s and send it to other countries.

[MrTinMan @MattTheTinMan]

@ChiefEngineerCE @HollyGrayle Former PMP here…..the test was difficult, but nowhere near the hardest test in the world.

[MrTinMan @MattTheTinMan]

@ChiefEngineerCE Hey, CE, been praying for you to have wisdom and success in your job search and your interviews. Would you do the same for me, please?

[MrTinMan @MattTheTinMan]

@ofootball__ Y’all are welcome back anytime.

[MrTinMan @MattTheTinMan]

@japan_nobunaga @soVereign913 It’s not free and no refills…..totally worth it. Same with table-side guacamole (they make it at your table).