Chamber of Commerce Appeals Ruling Upholding $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Dec. 29 appealed a federal judge’s ruling upholding the Trump administration’s decision to increase the fee for H-1B visas for employees in specialty occupations to $100,000. Washington-based U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell issued a ruling on Dec. 23, declining to block the fee increase. Howell also granted summary judgment in favor of the Trump administration. Before the policy change, the fee ranged from $2,000 to $5,000, depending on the employer’s size. The plaintiffs included the Chamber of Commerce—a business federation with about 300,000 direct members—and the Association of American Universities, which represents 69 U.S.-based research universities, both of which had sued to block the policy....