Overview

• USC advised H‑1B faculty and staff to delay international travel and urged those abroad to return before the rule’s effective window, citing uncertainty around the proclamation.
• A coalition of higher‑education groups, unions, employers and religious organizations filed suit in the Northern District of California to block the fee as exceeding presidential authority and violating the Administrative Procedure Act.
• The lawsuit details sector‑wide harms, including Global Nurse Force warning of reduced hospital capacity, a Colorado language‑immersion school facing staffing cuts, and religious groups losing access to culturally aligned clergy.
• Business and industry groups including BSA, SEMI, the National Retail Federation and the Information Technology Industry Council cautioned in a letter that the fee would disrupt talent pipelines across tech, manufacturing and other fields.
• The White House defends the move as targeting program abuse; officials say the charge applies only to new petitions for 12 months, and DHS has proposed prioritizing higher‑wage filings in the capped selection process.