$100k H-1B fee furore: Trump slams visa program for affecting US wages amid 20-state lawsuit

California is leading a joint 20-state decision to sue the Donald Trump administration over the $100,000 fee imposed on new H-1B visa petitions in September. The lawsuit was filed on Friday, December 12 (US time).

In a press release dated December 12, 2025, California Attorney General William Tong joined the coalition of US states to challenge what it called an “unlawful policy.” Noting that the ‘specialty occupations’ nonimmigrant visa program allows American employers to hire highly skilled foreign national workers, the official release stated that the new blanket fee was taking the shape of a “costly barrier for employers.”