Trump Administration Defends $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee Amid Legal Challenges from US Chamber and Industry Groups

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has firmly stated that the Trump administration's new H-1B visa policy is designed to prioritize American workers in the labor market.

Washington:

The Trump administration is preparing to defend its controversial H-1B visa policy in legal proceedings, as multiple lawsuits challenge the substantial $100,000 fee now required for new visa applicants.

During Thursday's White House press briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed that the H-1B system has been extensively exploited, resulting in depressed wages for American workers. She emphasized that the administration's policy aims to prioritize domestic workers while addressing fraud within the visa program.

"The administration will fight these lawsuits in court. The president's main priority has always been to put American workers first and to strengthen our visa system. For far too long, the H-1B visa system has been spammed with fraud, and that's driven down American wages. So the president wants to refine this system, which is part of the reason he implemented these new policies. These actions are lawful, they are necessary, and we'll continue to fight this battle in court," Leavitt declared to reporters.

Leavitt's defense comes as the US Chamber of Commerce launches a legal challenge against the administration's $100,000 H-1B visa petition fee. Simultaneously, a coalition of unions, employers, and religious organizations have filed lawsuits in California and Washington, DC federal courts, arguing that the fee is unlawful and detrimental to American industries.

The Chamber's legal argument maintains that the new fee violates provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act governing the H-1B program, particularly the requirement that fees should reflect the actual costs incurred by the government in processing visa applications.

"The new $100,000 visa fee will make it cost-prohibitive for US employers, especially start-ups and small and midsize businesses, to utilize the H-1B program, which Congress created expressly to ensure that American businesses of all sizes can access the global talent they need to grow their operations here in the US," stated Neil Bradley, Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer at the US Chamber.

"President Trump has embarked on an ambitious agenda of securing permanent pro-growth tax reforms, unleashing American energy, and unravelling the overregulation that has stifled growth. The Chamber and our members have actively backed these proposals to attract more investment in America. To support this growth, our economy will require more workers, not fewer," Bradley's statement continued.

A coalition comprising unions, educators, religious groups, and various organizations has filed the first major lawsuit challenging the visa fees, describing the increase as "arbitrary and capricious."

The H-1B visa program enables companies to hire skilled foreign workers. The substantial fee increase is expected to significantly impact the IT sector, with Indian IT professionals—who constitute the largest group receiving H-1B visas—particularly affected.

The new $100,000 annual fee represents a dramatic increase from the current H-1B processing costs, which typically amount to only a few thousand dollars. Companies will need to pay this fee in addition to existing vetting charges, with the administration still determining whether to collect the full amount upfront or annually.

The US Chamber of Commerce warns that this substantial fee will force many businesses to either scale back their participation in the H-1B program or abandon it altogether. Major tech companies including Amazon, Microsoft, and Google are expected to be significantly impacted by this policy change.