California, other states sue Trump administration over $100,000 fee for H-1B visas

"California and a coalition of other states are suing the Trump administration over a policy charging employers $100,000 for each new H-1B visa they request for foreign employees to work in the U.S. - calling it a threat not only to major industry but to public education and healthcare services. "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," said California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta, who announced the litigation Friday."

"President Trump imposed the fee through a Sept. 19 proclamation, in which he said the H-1B visa program - designed to provide U.S. employers with skilled workers in science, technology, engineering, math and other advanced fields - has been "deliberately exploited to replace, rather than supplement, American workers with lower-paid, lower-skilled labor." Trump said the program also created a "national security threat by discouraging Americans from pursuing careers in science and technology, risking American leadership in these fields.""

California and a coalition of states filed suit challenging a presidential policy that imposes a $100,000 fee on employers for each new H-1B visa request. The fee was implemented via a Sept. 19 proclamation characterizing the H-1B program as exploited to replace American workers and as a national security risk by discouraging U.S. careers in science and technology. The lawsuit asserts the fee is unlawful, contradicts congressional intent, exceeds presidential authority, and will create financial burdens for public employers and providers of education and healthcare, exacerbating labor shortages. The White House did not immediately comment.

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