US judge refuses to grant preliminary injunction against H-1B visa ban

The case was brought by a group of 169 Indian nationals, who recently visited India after living in the US on work visas, and are now attempting to return

A federal judge in Washington, DC, refused to order the processing of visa applications of foreign workers amid the Donald Trump administration’s order that halts fresh issuance of H-1B, L-1 and other non-immigration visas.

District Judge Amit P Mehta dismissed the H-1B visa holders’ request seeking a suspension of the proclamation. Since the ban still exists and the lawsuit contesting the ban was pending, requiring the US Department of State to nonetheless process the visa requests “would be an exercise in futility”, the judge said. 

The case was filed by a group of 169 Indian nationals who recently visited India after living