Trump’s tech visa fee challenged in court

A coalition of workers in a variety of fields filed a lawsuit Friday to halt the new $100,000 H-1B visa fee introduced by the Trump administration.

The group, representing healthcare workers, university professors, and religious organizations, among others, argued in federal court in San Francisco that the new fee is illegal and will thwart a key conduit for innovation and economic growth in the United States.

“Without relief, hospitals will lose medical staff, churches will lose pastors, classrooms will lose teachers, and industries across the country risk losing key innovators,” the coalition said in a statement.

“The suit asks the court to immediately block the order and restore predictability for employers and workers,” it added.

The $100,000 fee, announced last month, gave companies just 36 hours’ notice before it went into effect, triggering chaos and confusion over how it would work and who would be affected.

The H-1B fee is part of a broader crackdown by President Donald Trump, who has unleashed a massive push against immigration since returning to the White House though until now, it had not targeted the visa program on which Silicon Valley relies heavily.

Trump argued that the H-1B visa system was being abused to replace American workers with people willing to work for less money.

The United States awards 85,000 H-1B visas per year through a lottery system, with India accounting for roughly three-quarters of the recipients.

Tech entrepreneurs including Trump’s former ally Elon Musk have warned against targeting H-1B visas, saying the U.S. does not have enough homegrown talent to fill vital tech-sector job vacancies.

AFP