WASHINGTON: The Trump administration has suffered another legal setback after a US federal appeals court declined to reinstate a proposed US$100,000 fee for the issuance of new H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign workers.
According to international media reports, the administration had sought to impose the substantially higher fee on employers applying for new H-1B visas, arguing that the measure would reform the visa programme and discourage misuse.
However, the US Court of Appeals refused to restore the proposed fee, dealing another blow to the administration’s efforts to implement the policy.
The H-1B visa programme allows US employers to hire foreign professionals in specialised occupations, particularly in sectors such as information technology, engineering, healthcare, finance, and scientific research.
The proposed US$100,000 charge had attracted significant criticism from businesses and industry groups, who argued that such a steep increase would make it prohibitively expensive for companies to recruit highly skilled international talent and could negatively affect the competitiveness of US industries.
With the appeals court declining to revive the measure, the proposed fee cannot be enforced under the current ruling. The Trump administration has not immediately announced whether it will pursue further legal action or seek another avenue to implement the proposal.
The latest decision represents another judicial setback for the administration’s efforts to alter the H-1B visa system through substantially increased application costs.
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