H-1B visa ban: US business groups sue Trump govt over worker visa rules

Several large US business groups have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration seeking to discard immigration curbs imposed by it recently, comprising those on H-1B visas.

The litigation was filed in federal court in San Francisco on Tuesday against the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department.

The organisations in the suit alleged that President Donald Trump exceeded his authority when he signed an executive order on June 22 (2020) that suspended the entry of those holding H-1B, L-1, and other temporary work permit visas to the United States (US) until December 31, 2020. H-1B visas are issued to highly skilled workers with technical know-how in specialty fields.

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The decision has affected hundreds of thousands of foreign workers in the US.

The plaintiffs who filed the lawsuit include the National Association of Manufacturers, the US Chamber of Commerce, and the National Retail Federation seeking to reverse the restrictions, Bloomberg reported.

President Trump's June 22 order, according to the complaint, inflicted "severe economic harm on a wide range of American businesses across all economic sectors".

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The complainants argue that it exceeds presidential authority, thus federal departments and officials can't execute it.

Although Trump cited the COVID-19 pandemic as a reason for passing the order, it doesn't bear a "rational relationship" to the issue, according to the suit that seeks the court to pass an order terming the curbs unlawful and block them.

As per the suit, there are around 5.8 lakh foreign workers with H-1B visas in the US.

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