(Washington) A federal judge on Tuesday authorized the Trump administration to apply a fee of US$100,000 for work visas widely used in the technology field, a blow to this sector.
Published at
American President Donald Trump announced in September this measure relating to H-1B visas, which allow foreign workers with specific qualifications (scientists, engineers and computer programmers among others) to come and work in the United States.
Since his first term, the Republican has shown his desire to limit them in order to give priority to American workers.
The measure had provoked an outcry in sectors which widely use it, notably in the technology industry, but also among countries strongly concerned, such as India.
The United States Chamber of Commerce had taken legal action with the Association of American Universities (AAU), estimating in particular that this decision was not the responsibility of Donald Trump.
They stressed that holders of these visas contributed “enormously to American productivity, prosperity and innovation”.
In her decision, consulted by AFP, federal judge Beryl Howell noted that “Congress granted the president broad statutory powers, which he used to promulgate the proclamation in order to deal, in the manner he deems appropriate, a problem which he considers to be of economic and national security”.
The decision “and its implementation are legal and therefore resist the plaintiffs’ appeals,” she concluded.
The H-1B visa was created to allow employers to sponsor highly specialized foreign workers whose qualifications are not widely available in the United States. It is initially granted for a period of three years, which can be extended up to six years.
The United States issues 85,000 H-1B visas per year under a lottery system and India accounts for three-quarters of the beneficiaries.
Donald Trump’s decision was also attacked in October, in a different procedure, by a coalition of hospitals, schools and unions who denounce the impossibility of recruiting foreign doctors and teachers at this price.
