President Donald Trump extends for another year an executive order requiring employers to pay a $100,000 fee to use the H-1B program to hire certain skilled foreign workers. The fee extension keeps in place a major part of the administration’s effort to raise the cost of access to the program, which is used by U.S. employers to bring workers for temporary stays.
Both outlets link the extension to the administration’s broader immigration agenda, with Trump arguing that the higher fee reduces reliance on lower-paid foreign labor. The plan, however, is tied up in court. One source says a Boston-based appeals court reviews a June decision in which a federal judge ruled the fee increase illegal and blocked the government from collecting the higher amount. It also notes another court is considering a separate challenge related to a rejection of an argument brought by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Taken together, the reporting indicates the fee hike was originally issued after a prior timeframe set to expire, and the extension maintains the policy while litigation continues over its legality and the scope of related challenges.
