California and 18 other US states filed a lawsuit seeking to block President Donald Trump’s $100,000 fee on new H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign workers, according to California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Massachusetts, is at least the third legal challenge to the fee announced by Trump in September.
The proposal would sharply increase the cost of obtaining an H-1B visa, which employers currently pay between $2,000 and $5,000 to secure.
In a statement, Bonta’s office said Trump lacks the authority to impose the fee and that it violates federal law, which permits immigration agencies to collect only fees necessary to cover the cost of administering visa programmes.
The H-1B programme allows US employers to hire foreign workers in specialty fields.
Technology firms, many of them based in California, rely heavily on the visas to recruit skilled staff.
Related
Unnecessary financial strain
Bonta, a Democrat, said the proposed fee would place unnecessary financial strain on providers of essential services such as education and healthcare.
He warned it could worsen labour shortages and threaten the delivery of services.