Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Date of Degree

6-2026

Document Type

Master's Capstone Project

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Program

International Migration Studies

Advisor

Ismael García-Colón

Committee Members

Els de Graauw

Subject Categories

Anthropology | Migration Studies | Sociology

Keywords

Dependent visas, wagelessness, legal dependency, temporary migration, migration governance, nonimmigrant visas

Abstract

This capstone examines how U.S. dependent visa regimes create a population of migrants who are legally present but structurally excluded from paid work and independent legal status. Focusing on visa categories such as H-4, F-2, M-2, O-3, P-4, R-2, and TD, it argues that wagelessness is not incidental but structurally embedded in the legal design of temporary migration governance through employment restrictions, derivative legal status, and the tethering of dependents to a principal visa holder.

Using a qualitative, interpretive approach, this study draws on documentary and secondary sources as well as digital narratives from platforms such as Reddit. This capstone analyzes how dependent visa holders themselves describe, interpret, and navigate the constraints of their status. The findings show that these visa regimes lead to unemployment, career interruptions, economic dependence, social isolation, and emotional distress. At the same time, they also give rise to forms of constrained agency. Dependent visa holders engage in practices such as studying, volunteering, informal work, and efforts to change status. These activities do not undo legal dependency, but they reveal how people still act, plan, and endure within a system designed to keep them wageless.

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