Washington, D.C. — October 16, 2025: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has taken the unusual step of suing the Donald J. Trump administration over a sweeping fee increase in the H-1B visa program, marking a major escalation in business-community pushback against the White House’s immigration agenda.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, challenges a newly announced $100,000 annual fee for employers sponsoring foreign workers under the H-1B program — a dramatic jump from prior costs that typically ranged in the thousands. The Chamber argues the fee is “plainly unlawful” and exceeds the executive branch’s authority, citing the visa program’s origins in congressional statute.
According to the complaint, the fee will force many U.S. employers — particularly startups and mid-sized firms — to reconsider or scale back hiring of high-skilled foreign talent. The organization warns that the increase could push companies to relocate jobs overseas, threatening U.S. competitiveness.
The administration has defended the change as a necessary reform intended to ensure American workers are prioritized, but business groups say the new cost is untenable and undermines long-standing programs designed to fill talent gaps in sectors such as technology, engineering, and research.
This legal action represents a sharp departure for the Chamber, which has largely avoided litigation against the current administration until now. The suit underscores growing tension between large U.S. employers reliant on skilled immigration and policy initiatives aimed at tightening access to such programs.
As the case proceeds, the business community will be closely watching whether the courts block enforcement of the fee and what ripple effects the dispute may have across the H-1B visa ecosystem.
