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A Democratic Senator has made a fresh bid to push a bill to provide a pathway to lawful permanent residency for millions of long-term US residents, including H-1B visa holders. California Senator Alex Padilla on Monday reiterated support for his 'Renewing Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929' bill, first introduced last year. The bill seeks to provide a "commonsense" fix to US' "outdated" immigration system to counter President Donald Trump's "systemic attacks" on migrants across the country. The legislation also seeks to allow long-term US residents to apply for permanent residency if they have lived in the country continuously for at least seven years before filing the application. "A year ago, I introduced this bill to push back against the Trump administration's cruel treatment of hardworking immigrants," Padilla said. "Since then, President Trump's campaign of fear has only escalated, with families living under constant uncertainty despite having built their
A US federal appeals court has refused to stay a lower court order striking down the Trump administration's decision to impose a USD 100,000 fee on H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign workers. The three-judge bench at the Boston-based First Circuit Court of Appeals denied the federal government's motion to stay US District Judge Leo T Sorokin's June 8 ruling that struck down the fee, terming it an unlawful tax not authorised by Congress. "...we deny the defendants' motion to stay pending appeal to this Court, the district court's June 8, 2026, Memorandum and Order and accompanying Judgment," the bench ruled on Friday. The judges agreed with the plaintiffs -- 20 Democrat-ruled states -- that "the question here is not whether Congress may delegate the authority in question. It is whether Congress has done so". President Donald Trump had issued a proclamation in September last year imposing a USD 100,000 fee for obtaining new H-1B visas. The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that .
A federal judge on Monday ruled that the USD 100,000 fee imposed by US President Donald Trump for H-1B applications was unlawful as it did not have the approval of Congress. "...the Court finds that the Policy imposes a tax on H-1B petitions without the requisite delegation by Congress," US District Court judge Leo Sorokin in Boston, Massachusetts, said in a ruling. The H-1B programme is one of the most sought-after US work visas that allows American companies to hire skilled global talent. Trump's order proposing a USD 100,000 annual fee per H-1B worker left many uncertain about visa reforms and new requirements. In September last year, Trump signed a proclamation adding the USD 100,000 fee for new H-1B visa applications. The fees are generally paid for by a sponsoring employer, and administration officials have cast it as an initiative to encourage companies to hire Americans instead. "Here, the substance and application of the USD 100,000 payment reveal that it is a tax, regard
A hardline Republican lawmaker has introduced a draft legislation in the US Congress seeking an overhaul of the H-1B visa programme, including ending its use as a pathway to permanent residency in the United States. Congressman Chip Roy introduced the American White-Collar Worker Jobs Act on Thursday. The proposed legislation also seeks to scrap the optional practical training (OPT) programme, which allows foreign students to work in the US for a limited period after graduation. "For its nearly forty-year history, the H-1B visa has been abused, allowing employers to routinely sideline American STEM workers in favour of cheap foreign labour, while masking layoffs and wage suppression as 'shortages.' "It's time to end this lottery-based pipeline and replace it with a system that prioritises merit, enforces real wage standards, and puts American white-collar workers first," said Roy, who represents the 21st district of Texas in Congress. The bill is backed by US Tech Workers, the ...
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Thursday launched investigations into 30 businesses in the state on suspected fraud and abuse of the H-1B visa programme by operating "ghost offices". The companies under investigation include Tekpro IT LLC, Fame PBX LLC, 1st Ranking Technologies LLC, Qubitz Tech Systems LLC, Blooming Clouds LLC, Virat Solutions, Inc., Oak Technologies Inc, Techpath Inc, and Techquency LLC, a statement from the Texas Attorney General's office said. "Attorney General Ken Paxton has issued Civil Investigative Demands ("CIDs") to nearly 30 North Texas businesses as part of an ongoing investigation into suspected fraud and abuse of the H-1B visa programme," it said. The statement said these companies are suspected of engaging in fraudulent practices designed to exploit the H-1B visa programme. "Reports indicate that several of these entities have operated so-called "ghost offices" as a scheme in which businesses falsely represent active operations in order to sponso
A group of Republican lawmakers has introduced a bill in the US Congress for a three-year pause to the H1-B visa programme, contending that it has been hijacked to replace American workers with cheap foreign labour. Congressman Eli Crane from Arizona introduced the End H-1B Visa Abuse Act of 2026, which was co-sponsored by seven other Republican lawmakers. The bill proposes reforms to the H-1B programme that include reducing the annual cap from 65,000 to 25,000 with a minimum wage of USD 2,00,000 per year and disallowing H-1B visa holders from bringing dependents to the US. Congressmen Brian Babin, Brandon Gill, Wesley Hunt, Keith Self (all from Texas), Andy Ogles (Tennessee), Paul Gosar (Arizona) and Tom McClintock (California) have signed on as original cosponsors of the bill. The H-1B visa programme is used extensively by American technology companies to employ foreign workers. Indian professionals, including technology workers and physicians, form one of the largest groups of