A broad coalition of labor unions, health-care providers, schools, religious organizations, and individual workers filed suit on Friday, Oct. 3, 2025, to stop President Donald Trump’s executive action that adds a $100,000 payment to every new H-1B application. The complaint says the proclamation—issued Sept. 19 and made effective about 36 hours later—has already sown confusion for employers, workers, and federal agencies, according to Justice Action Center.
Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the lawsuit argues the order is unconstitutional and unlawful under the Administrative Procedure Act, reported by Justice Action Center.
Plaintiffs are represented by Democracy Forward, Justice Action Center, South Asian American Justice Collaborative (SAAJCO), Kuck Baxter LLC, Joseph & Hall, P.C., and IMMpact Litigation.
The complaint underscores Congress’s design for the H-1B program: a pathway for U.S. employers to recruit highly skilled professionals—doctors, nurses, engineers, teachers, and researchers—after rigorous review, to meet urgent economic and public-service needs and strengthen innovation.
Named plaintiffs include Global Nurse Force; Global Village Academy Collaborative; Society of the Divine Word; the Fathers of St. Charles; Church on the Hill; the International Union; United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW International); UAW Local 4811; the American Association of University Professors (AAUP); the Committee of Interns and Residents, SEIU (CIR); a citizen of the United Kingdom residing in Appalachia; and a citizen of India residing in the Northern District of California.
The filing says these plaintiffs include medical residents, fellows, interns, and nurses serving rural and medically underserved communities; a school that relies on H-1B workers to support students; religious organizations that hire pastors and religious professionals to minister to underserved communities; major labor unions representing faculty and higher-education workers; and individual highly skilled professionals whose careers were disrupted by the sudden policy change.
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