A group of states have sued the Donald Trump administration over H-1B visa fee. The states are seeking to block the $100,000 fee for any new applications
for H-1B visas. The states said that the September policy is unlawful and threatens essential public services. The Trump administration, in September this year, had announced a $1,00,000 annual fee on H-1B visas. The move had triggered widespread panic, concern and fear among Indian professionals on the work visa. California Attorney General Rob Bonta, whose office is leading the case, said the administration lacked authority to impose the fee. “President Trump's illegal $100,000 H-1B visa fee creates unnecessary — and illegal — financial burdens on California public employers and other providers of vital services, exacerbating labour shortages in key sectors,” he said. “As the world's fourth largest economy, California knows that when skilled talent from around the world joins our workforce, it drives our state forward,” Bonta said. “No presidential administration can rewrite immigration law... No president can ignore the co-equal branch of government of Congress, ignore the Constitution, or ignore the law," Bonta was quoted as saying at a press conference in San Francisco. The states joining California in the lawsuit include New York, Massachusetts, Illinois, New Jersey and Washington. All are represented by Democratic attorneys general. Also Read - Not Just Big Tech: Here Are The 10 Major H1B Employers In The US - Full List
White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers defended the fee as lawful and called it “a necessary, initial, incremental step towards necessary reforms to the H-1B program.” “President Trump promised to put American workers first, and his commonsense action on H-1B visas does just that by discouraging companies from spamming the system and driving down American wages, while providing certainty to employers who need to bring the best talent from overseas,” she said in a statement.
The H-1B programme serves as America's gateway for attracting the world's top talent and skilled professionals. Historically, H-1B visas have been doled out through lottery. This year, Amazon was by far the top recipient of H-1B visas with more than 10,000 awarded, followed by Tata Consultancy, Microsoft, Apple and Google. Geographically, California has the highest number of H-1B workers.
