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The White House has thrown its weight behind Donald Trump’s controversial decision to raise the H-1B visa fee to $100,000, saying the move is intended to protect American workers and curb “fraud” in the system. In a media briefing on Thursday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration stood firmly by the president’s policy. “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...

The Donald Trump administration said on Thursday it will fight all lawsuits filed against H-1B visa policy, saying that the move is intended to protect American workers and restore integrity to the system. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that the administration stands firm on its newly implemented measures, including the contentious $100,000 fee imposed on new H-1B visa applications. The announcement comes after the US Chamber of Commerce filed a lawsuit challenging the legality of the fee hike. "The administration will fight these lawsuits in court. The president’s main priority has always been to put American workers first...

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has signaled that the H-1B visa system will face key reforms before the $100,000 fee applies in 2026. He called the lottery “bizarre,” opposed low-cost hiring, and said visas must go to the most highly-skilled workers. -snip- Lutnick said the H-1B visa lottery system is flawed and needs reform. Referring to conversations with the heads of two leading global tech companies, he said they found the concept of allocating visas for skilled workers through a lottery “bizarre.” He argued that the US must ensure visas go only to the most highly skilled professionals. -snip- The...

e U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Thursday filed a lawsuit over the Trump administration imposing a $100,000 fee to the H-1B worker visas. -snip- In a release regarding the lawsuit on Thursday, the Chamber called the new fee unlawful since it "overrides provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act that govern the H-1B program, including the requirement that fees be based on the costs incurred by the government in processing visas." "The new $100,000 visa fee will make it cost-prohibitive for U.S. employers, especially start-ups and small and midsize businesses, to utilize the H-1B program, which was created by Congress...

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce sued the Trump administration Thursday over hefty new fees in the H-1B visa program, joining the legal campaign against the administration’s changes to a program used by some of the biggest tech companies in the U.S. -snip- The chamber’s lawsuit is seeking to block the new H-1B program restrictions, which were rolled out in a presidential proclamation that the chamber says “is not only misguided policy; it is plainly unlawful.” “The President has significant authority over the entry of noncitizens into the United States, but that authority is bounded by statute and cannot directly contradict...