The White House has announced that it will robustly defend President Trump’s new H‑1B visa policy, which imposes a $100,000 fee on visa applications, following a wave of lawsuits filed across the United States.

The administration maintains that the reform is necessary to curb what it describes as widespread fraud within the program and to protect American labour interests.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated during a Thursday briefing that the H‑1B system had been “spammed with fraud”, leading to the suppression of American wages. She added that the President’s priority has always been to strengthen the nation’s immigration and visa framework while ensuring employment opportunities for American workers remain the focal point of federal policy.

The announcement follows multiple legal challenges led by the US Chamber of Commerce, which argues that the unprecedented fee increase violates the Immigration and Nationality Act. The Chamber contends that the Act only permits fees based on the actual administrative costs of visa processing, not the imposition of arbitrary charges intended to reshape employment patterns.

Neil Bradley, Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer at the Chamber, criticised the policy as economically counterproductive. He warned that such steep costs would price small and mid‑sized companies out of the program, undermining the very intent of the H‑1B system, which allows American businesses to access specialised international talent to drive innovation and growth.

A coalition of unions, educators, and religious organisations has also launched separate lawsuits in California and Washington, DC, arguing that the measure is both “arbitrary and capricious”. They assert that it unfairly penalises employers and skilled professionals while offering no clear evidence that it will curb malpractice within the system.

The H‑1B visa remains a crucial channel for employing highly skilled foreign professionals, particularly in the technology and engineering sectors. Indian IT workers are among the largest beneficiaries of the visa scheme, and the newly imposed charge is expected to have far‑reaching consequences for India’s technology industry and its partnerships with American firms.

Under the new policy, employers will be required to pay the $1,00,000 fee in addition to existing processing and vetting expenses, which already amount to several thousand dollars. Although the administration is still determining whether the fee will be levied as a one‑time upfront payment or annually, industry experts warn that such a sharp cost escalation may deter even large corporations from utilising the program.

Major technology companies, including Amazon, Microsoft, and Google, are anticipated to face operational challenges as the reforms take effect.

The US Chamber of Commerce has cautioned that the measures could ultimately hinder economic expansion, forcing firms to scale down hiring plans or relocate certain operations abroad to maintain competitiveness.

Based On ANI Report