California and a coalition of 19 other states are suing the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump over its policy to hike fees on new H-1B visa petitions to 100,000 U.S. dollars, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said Friday.
The Trump administration announced in September to impose the fee for H-1B visas, claiming that the non-immigrant visa program "has been deliberately exploited to replace, rather than supplement, American workers with lower-paid, lower-skilled labor."
Bonta said in a declaration that, as president, Trump has no authority to impose this fee. The declaration pointed out that significantly increasing this visa fee has brought various adverse effects on industries such as education and healthcare in the United States.
Trump announced in September the imposition of sharply higher visa fees, saying the move is intended to ensure that the U.S. brings in high-skilled talent that cannot be replaced by American workers. Previously, companies typically paid several thousand U.S. dollars in fees for H-1B visas.
U.S. media analyses say the new high visa fees will affect technology giants such as Amazon, Microsoft and Google.
The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa in the United States that allows U.S. employers to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations. This visa is designed for highly qualified individuals, including those in fields such as technology, engineering, and healthcare.
Twenty U.S. states sue Trump's fee hike of H-1B visas
