Life Can Be Beautiful on H4 Visa in US

Life can be beautiful for H4 aka “dependent” visa holders in US

Are you getting bored and have no work to do? Have you lost all hopes of finding a job and feel depressed of life. Getting married to an NRI and leaving behind your family, job and home country to settle in a new country that does not allow H4 visa holders to work. Doesn’t it sound bad enough to demoralize you and shatter your confidence? Years of unending wait with no luck at finding a job and spending whole day doing nothing. This thought itself is killing and depressing. But didn’t you heard of that old saying, “Everything happens for good.

This article is for all those who are sailing in the boat of dependent visa and feel depressed of being out of work. But believe me, this period could turn out to be the best time of your life. Remember those days when you had a job, hectic schedule, project deadlines and busy Sundays to pay bills online, house cleaning and so many things that you were unable to do otherwise in weekdays. Those were the days when you definitely wished to have some extra time for yourself, a brake when you could fulfill your hobby to join a salsa class, make paintings or reduce those extra pounds. This is the time that you always wanted and now that you have it, make the best out of it.

Here are some tips to utilize this period of boredom into period of joy:

• 1. First and foremost, try to build a positive attitude and think of this time as a golden opportunity to become a new you.
• 2. Develop a hobby like painting, join YMCA, take up a dance class, hot yoga, or join a gym. Activities like this will not only give you more energy and freshness but will definitely re-kindle your relationship with your spouse because of your new look.
• 3.Try hands at cooking. This might not sound interesting to a lot of people but there is no harm baking a heart-shaped chocolate cake for your hubby. You may try learning different world cuisines and organize parties at your home and display your new cooking skills.
• 4. Try writing. Write a blog on your favorite topics like travel, education, politics etc. If you develop a taste for writing then you may think of getting your articles published and this may be a nice income source.
• 5. Taking up a language course is another great idea. There are tons of free courses online. You may start with any of such free courses and once you enjoy learning a new language than you may enroll in a community college. This may be career opportunity as there is demand for translators and who knows you might end up finding a job with this new skill.
• 6. For all those with higher degrees from home country, decide to study in US. You may pursue a PhD, MBA or MS. It is true that the education is very expensive here but with strong GRE/GMAT scores, you may get a good scholarship. Once you are in the program, you can definitely apply for paid assistantship or internship.
• 7. You can also do volunteer activities and become a part of some cause. This may not help you earn any money but will definitely give you inner pleasure and mental peace.
• 8. You may also plan a child so that in future by the time you find a job, your baby will be old enough and you will be able to manage both your child and job.

There is so much that we can do when we have free time. Just that we have to think what is the right thing for us to do during this time and how to make the best use of it. These were few ideas from my side but I am sure you have more to add to this. Think of these years when you are jobless as the last few “free” years of your life. The only time when you can fulfill all your hobbies, do all that you always wanted to because there is no way we can bring back time so make the best use of it.