Trump’s $100,000 visa faces legal challenge in federal court

Saturday 04 October 2025 - 10:00

By: Sahili Aya

Trump’s $100,000 visa faces legal challenge in federal court

A coalition of hospitals, universities, and labor unions has filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s recent executive order imposing a $100,000 fee on the H-1B visa, a program widely used by the technology, medical, and education sectors to hire skilled foreign workers.

Filed in the federal court of San Francisco, the complaint denounces the decree as “unconstitutional and unlawful,” arguing that it undermines essential recruitment in rural hospitals, schools, and nonprofit organizations. The plaintiffs include the Global Nurse Force network, the United Auto Workers (UAW) union, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), and several religious groups.

The H-1B visa allows U.S. employers to sponsor highly qualified foreign professionals—scientists, doctors, engineers, and teachers—for up to six years. Critics say Trump’s order threatens not only the competitiveness of U.S. innovation but also the staffing of critical sectors already facing shortages.

According to experts, the new policy could make it nearly impossible for smaller institutions to attract foreign talent. “This decision jeopardizes America’s research, education, and healthcare infrastructure,” said immigration analyst Jeremy Neufeld, adding that “around 60% of leading AI startups in the U.S. were founded by immigrants who entered under the H-1B program.”

French schools in the U.S. have also expressed concern, as they rely heavily on the H-1B system to hire French-speaking teachers. The U.S. currently issues 85,000 H-1B visas annually through a lottery system, with Indian nationals accounting for nearly three-quarters of recipients.

Notable tech leaders such as Google’s Sundar Pichai and Microsoft’s Satya Nadella began their U.S. careers on H-1B visas—now at the center of a heated political and legal battle over the country’s immigration priorities.