Trump administration in trouble over H-1B visas; US Chamber of Commerce files lawsuit

Washington (The Uttam Hindu): America's largest business organization, the US Chamber of Commerce, has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration. This lawsuit is regarding the H-1B visa application fee, which the government has fixed at one lakh dollars. The Chamber says that this fee is "illegal" and will cause huge losses to American companies. The petition filed in a district court in Washington states that if this fee is implemented, American companies will either have to increase their labor costs significantly or they will have to reduce the number of skilled employees for whom domestic alternatives are not easily available.

The Chamber called Trump's September 19 order "clearly illegal" and "beneficial to America's economic competitors." It further stated, "This proclamation is not only a misleading policy; it is also clearly unlawful. The President has significant authority over the entry of non-citizens into the United States, but this authority is limited by law and cannot directly contradict laws passed by Congress."

Neil Bradley, executive vice president of the US Chamber of Commerce, said such high visa fees would make it nearly impossible for US companies to hire global talent at a time when the US economy needs more workers. The Chamber represents approximately 300,000 direct members and indirectly represents the interests of more than 3 million companies and professional associations in the United States.

This lawsuit is the second major legal challenge filed against the Trump administration's new H-1B rules. On October 3, several unions, education experts, and religious organizations also filed a lawsuit against the same policy. They argued that Trump's order is riddled with errors and ignores the benefits the H-1B program provides to the US economy.

When Trump signed the order in September, he said it was aimed at creating more jobs for American citizens. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick also supported the policy, saying it would discourage companies from hiring foreign workers.