'H-1B system spammed with fraud': Trump admin doubles down on $100k visa fees
The press secretary's comments come after the US Chamber of Commerce filed a legal challenge to the Trump administration's decision to hike the fee
Doubling down on Donald Trump's $100,000 fee hike for H-1B visas, the White House backed the US president's on Thursday. In a briefing to the media, press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended Trump's fee hike and stated that the administration is fighting a system which has been filled with "fraud".
"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," said Leavitt.
"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," she added further.
The press secretary's comments come after the US Chamber of Commerce filed a legal challenge to the Trump administration's decision to hike the fee for a H-1B visa to $100,000. Along with the commerce chamber, several unions, employers, and religious groups have also filed lawsuits in federal courts of California and Washington DC, stating that the fee hike is unlawful and harms US industries.
In the official statement by the CoC, the litigation argues that the new fee is unlawful as it overrides provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act that govern the H-1B programme, including the requirement that fees be based on the costs incurred by the government in processing visas.
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"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," said 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," his statement added further.
In the US, the H-1B visa system allows companies to hire skilled foreign workers. In September, Donald Trump announced that the fee for H-1B visa petitions will be raised to $100,000. This decision came amid his bid to tackle immigration and expand the job market for Americans.
Under this executive order, companies will be required pay this fee in addition to existing vetting charges when sponsoring a H-1B visa.
