A federal appeals court rejected a bid by the Trump administration to lift a bar preventing the implementation of a new $100,000 fee on H-1B visas.
The 1st US Circuit Court of Appeals declined to put a hold on a June ruling that struck down the fee on the basis that it constitutes an unlawful tax that was not approved by Congress.
The case was brought against the Trump administration by 20 state attorneys general.
The appeals panel, composed of three judges, said the Trump administration had not demonstrated an appeal was likely to show it had not exceeded its authority with the fee.
In September of last year, President Trump imposed the fee, saying the H-1B program has “has been deliberately exploited to replace, rather than supplement, American workers with lower-paid, lower-skilled labor.”
Around 65,000 H-1B visas are issued annually, with another 20,000 for workers who hold advanced degrees. A visa typically cost between $2,000 and $5,000 before the implementation of Trump’s fee.
According to Press Insider, “Indian nationals are among the biggest users of the H-1B route, and the program has been central to the operating model of Indian IT outsourcers, which use it to place engineers, consultants and project managers at client locations in the US.”
The H-1B program has been a source of significant disagreement within the Trump administration. Weeks before Trump’s inauguration, an online spat over the program saw Vivek Ramaswamy removed from his role in the Department of Government Efficiency with billionaire Elon Musk.
Since January, more than a dozen Republican lawmakers have supported four bills to restrict, suspend or completely eliminate it.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently announced that all universities in Florida would temporarily halt all new H-1B hires at public universities in the state.
One Response
Why can’t they allow Trump to do what he must and fight about it after his term is through. Give his idea’s a chance. If your not part of the solution then your part of the problem.