Friday, a coalition of unions, employers and religious groups brought legal action to block the candidacy of President Donald Trump to impose costs of $ 100,000 on the new H-1B visas for highly qualified foreign workers.
The trial brought before the Federal Court of San Francisco is the first to challenge the proclamation of Trump published last month by announcing the costs.
The United Auto Workers Union, the American Association of University Professors and other complainants say that Trump’s power to restrict the entry of certain foreign nationals does not allow him to prevail over the law that created the Visa H-1B program.
The program allows American employers to hire foreign workers in specialized fields, and technological companies in particular depend strongly on workers who receive H-1B visas.
Critics of H-1BS and other work visa programs say they are often used to replace American workers with cheaper foreign work. But business groups and large companies have said that H-1B are an essential way to respond to a shortage of skilled American workers.
Employers who sponsor H-1B workers are currently generally paying between $ 2,000 and $ 5,000 in costs, depending on the size of the company and other factors.
Trump’s order prohibits the new H-1B beneficiaries from entering the United States, unless the sponsor employer, his visa made an additional payment of $ 100,000. The administration said that the order does not apply to people who already have H-1B visas or those who submitted requests before September 21.
