WASHINGTON, Dec. 24– A U.S. federal judge in Washington D.C. on Tuesday ruled President Donald Trump didn’t exceed his authority by imposing a 100,000-U.S.-dollar fee on the petitions for new H-1B visas, a decision that marked a win for the administration and a loss for major trade associations.
“Regardless of the force of plaintiffs’ arguments and concerns, however, the relevant analysis focuses on constitutional and statutory powers, not economic policy,” said Judge Beryl A. Howell from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
“Congress has granted the President broad statutory authority, which he has used to issue the Proclamation addressing, in the manner he sees fit, a problem he perceives to be a matter of economic and national security,” the judge wrote.
On Sept. 19, Trump signed a proclamation adding a 100,000-dollar payment requirement before processing employers’ petitions for new H-1B visas, shocking many businesses that rely on foreign talents for key positions.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which boasts approximately 300,000 members, and the Association of American Universities, an organization representing 69 U.S.-based research universities, filed a lawsuit challenging the measure.
The Chamber lawsuit was one of several challenges to the 100,000-dollar fee.
A coalition of states led by California and Massachusetts led a separate, more recent suit in an attempt to block it.
Companies typically pay several thousand dollars for H-1B visas.
This latest policy will substantially increase the cost for companies to hire foreign talents. (Namibia Daily News/Xinhua)
