Post by : Rameen Ariff

A coalition of health care providers, university professors, and religious organizations in the United States has filed a federal lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump's new $100,000 fee for H-1B visa applications. The lawsuit, lodged in the US District Court in San Francisco, argues that the fee disrupts employers, workers, and federal agencies, creating chaos for critical sectors.

The groups claim the H-1B program is essential for hiring high-skilled workers in healthcare, education, and other specialized fields. It helps fill roles that are difficult to staff domestically, drives innovation, and supports economic growth. Without relief, hospitals could lose medical staff, schools may lose teachers, and churches may lose pastors.

Trump introduced the fee via a proclamation on September 19, asserting that the H-1B program has been misused to replace American workers with lower-paid, less-skilled foreign labor. The changes were scheduled to take effect in just 36 hours, prompting employers to urgently call back workers to the US.

The lawsuit contends that the fee unfairly burdens essential employers and risks discouraging talented international professionals from contributing to the US economy. Critics have labeled it as an “anti-immigration power grab” and argue that it favors wealth and connections over talent and merit.

Historically, the H-1B program is administered through a lottery and supports a wide range of professionals, including nurses, doctors, teachers, scholars, and religious leaders. Major tech companies such as Amazon, Tata Consultancy, Microsoft, Apple, and Google are among the top recipients of H-1B visas.

The plaintiff organizations assert that the $100,000 fee could deter top talent, slow life-saving research, and invite corruption. They argue that Congress, not the President, has the authority to set visa regulations and fees, and that Trump’s executive order cannot override established law.

The groups are requesting the court to immediately block the fee and restore stability for employers and workers relying on the H-1B program. Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security, US Customs and Border Protection, and the State Department, all named as defendants, have not commented on the suit.

This legal challenge highlights growing tensions over US immigration policies and the role of high-skilled foreign workers in sustaining critical industries and innovation.

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