H4 Pathways Austin - Policy Brief

Print at 100% scale · US Letter · Chrome → File → Print → Uncheck "Headers and footers"

250K+

H4 Students Nationally

unable to apply to standard programs

Group

Based Format

no individual placement required

90 Min

Per Session

minimal time from your team

Plug & Play

We Handle Logistics

recruitment & session coordination

Why These Students Can't Apply to You

No Work Authorization

H4 visa holders are dependents of H1B workers. They have no work authorization under US immigration law - meaning they cannot apply to internships or career programs at for-profit companies, paid or unpaid.

They Never Appear in Your Pipeline

Standard application portals screen them out before a recruiter ever sees their profile. These are students with strong academics and real skills who simply have no path to reach you.

A Workshop Changes That

A group educational session requires no employment relationship. Students attend as an audience - identical to hosting a school career day. No onboarding, no HR process, no employment relationship created for your team. This is not a bias problem. Your EEO commitments are real and we know it. It is a statutory gap that no employer can fix through hiring policy - which is why we built a format that does not ask you to.

II.

What You Get From This

Access to Talent You Can't Find Otherwise

These students cannot show up in your internship pipeline. A workshop is the only way to meet them before they graduate and gain work authorization. First access matters.

You Only Handle the Content

We recruit students, coordinate attendance, and manage all logistics. Your team prepares one session - a talk, a case study, or a Q&A. That is the entire ask.

A Long-Term Relationship

When these students eventually graduate with work authorization, they remember who gave them access when no one else would. Early relationships with strong talent compound over time.

III.

Who These Students Are

H4 · L2 · F2 Dependents Austin High Schools CS · Business · Engineering

High-achieving students blocked by immigration status, not ability

Strong academic records across technical and business tracks

Attending purely for learning - no employment relationship created

IV.

Regional Data

Survey
Data

Live at h4pathways.org/survey
We are mapping the career access gap across Austin and measuring student demand for company-hosted workshops.

Results will inform outreach to Austin companies and school boards in Fall 2026.

Legal Compliance & Non-Employment Framework

DOL Fact Sheet #71 · 2018 · Primary Beneficiary Test

Group educational workshops of this format are classified as non-employment under the Department of Labor's 7-Factor Primary Beneficiary Test. When the primary beneficiary is the student - in a structured educational environment, with no displacement of employees and no entitlement to a job - no employer-employee relationship exists. No Form I-9 verification or work authorization check is required from student participants.

DOL Opinion Letter FLSA2006-12 · Job Shadowing & Career Exploration

DOL Opinion Letter FLSA2006-12 confirmed that observational, educational experiences - including high school job shadowing and career-exploration programs - do not constitute employment under the FLSA. Participants require no work authorization and are owed no wage compensation. Hosting a group masterclass or seminar creates no immigration or labor liability for your organization.

VI.

How to Get Involved

Step 1 - Review This Brief

Understand the model and decide which session format fits your team best.

Step 2 - Pick a Format

A 90-minute tech talk, a simulated case study, an executive Q&A, or a recruiting panel.

Step 3 - We Handle the Rest

Reach out to hello@h4pathways.org. We coordinate the students and handle the operational setup.

* No employment relationship is created. Students attend as an audience, not as interns or employees. Citations: DOL Fact Sheet #71 (2018); DOL Opinion Letter FLSA2006-12.

H4 Pathways Austin

Session Formats · Page 2 of 2

VII.

Session Format Options

Format	Length	What Happens	Ask from Your Team
Technical Masterclass	90 Min	An engineer or developer walks students through tools and workflows your team actually uses. Students follow along in a safe sandbox environment.	One presenter, one session
Simulated Case Study	2 - 3 Hours	Your team presents a fictional business challenge. Students work in groups to build a response and present their thinking back to the room.	Zero commercial work
Executive Q&A	60 Min	Students rotate through short conversations with different leaders at your company. Direct access, no preparation needed beyond showing up.	High value, low prep
Recruiting Panel	60 Min	Your recruiting team walks students through what they look for in applications, interviews, and early career candidates.	Standard outreach

Important: All formats are structured as group educational events. No student performs work, accesses company systems, or enters any employment relationship. This is equivalent to hosting a school career day.

VIII.

About This Initiative

H4 Pathways Austin was founded by a student at Round Rock High School personally affected by dependent visa career restrictions. After recognizing that thousands of Austin-area students face the same barrier, the initiative was built to connect them with companies through a format that works within the law and requires almost nothing from the host.

This initiative is student-led, non-commercial, and focused entirely on research and advocacy.

Round Rock High School Policy Research Austin, TX