U.S. companies, universities and associations have combined to file two lawsuits against the Trump administration’s new H-1B visa regulations. Critics say the purpose of the rules is to make it virtually impossible for U.S. employers to hire high-skilled foreign nationals or sponsor them for permanent residence. Plaintiffs believe the new rules could force about 200,000 foreign-born scientists, engineers and other professionals in H-1B status to leave America when their cases become subject to renewal.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, along with the National Association of Manufacturers, the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, and other organizations and universities that include Stanford, Cornell and the University of Southern California, filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against both the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) H-1B rule and the Department of Labor (DOL) H-1B wage rule. The two rules were published on October 8, 2020.