20 US states file suit against H-1B visa fee

California and 19 other US states have filed a lawsuit seeking to block President Donald Trump's decision to impose a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visas, arguing that the move is unlawful and exceeds presidential authority.

- Agencies

The lawsuit, filed on Friday in federal court in Boston, is at least the third legal challenge to the fee announced by Trump in September. The new charge represents a dramatic increase from the current $2,000-$5,000 in fees typically paid by employers to sponsor H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign workers. In a statement, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said Trump lacks the authority to impose such a fee and that it violates federal law, which permits immigration agencies to collect only those fees necessary to cover the cost of administering visa programs. Bonta's office said the $100,000 fee far exceeds the actual cost of processing H-1B petitions, rendering it unlawful.