A coalition of unions, employers and religious groups has filed a lawsuit seeking to block US President Donald Trump’s new order imposing a $100 000 (R1,7 million) fee on H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign workers.
The United Auto Workers Union, American Association of University Professors and others argue that the President does not have the authority to override laws that created and govern the H-1B visa programme. The programme allows US companies to hire qualified foreign professionals in specialised fields.
Under Trump’s new order, employers sponsoring H-1B visas would have to pay an additional $100 000 per applicant before the worker could enter the US, according to Reuters.
The lawsuit was filed in the Federal Court in San Francisco earlier this month and contends that only Congress can change the fees, taxes or other revenue measures tied to immigration programmes. The coalition say the President cannot rewrite or add financial requirements to the H-1B system, which was established by legislation.
