A group of states said they are suing the Donald Trump administration to block a $100,000 fee for any new applications for H-1B visas, which allow US employers to hire skilled foreign workers, Bloomberg reports. The lawsuit, expected to be filed Friday, argues that the fee creates a costly and illegal barrier to employers using the popular visa program and that the administration failed to follow the proper rulemaking process in adopting the policy. California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell are leading the case. “As the world’s fourth largest economy, California knows that when skilled talent from around the world joins our workforce, it drives our state forward,” Bonta said in a statement. “The Trump administration thinks it can raise costs on a whim, but the law says otherwise.” The lawsuit would be at least the third to challenge the fee increase, which Trump announced in September, but the first challenge by US states. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce sued in October, as did a global nursing staff agency and several labor unions. Both cases are ongoing. Why Trump Is Asking a $100,000 Fee for H-1B Visas The H-1B visa program is a cornerstone of employment-based immigration. This allows US companies to hire college-educated foreign workers for specialized occupations. Trump announced an overhaul of the program in September, arguing that abuses of the H-1B route displaced American workers. H-1B visas are awarded based on a lottery system, but they are primarily used by the technology industry. Companies with the largest number of H-1B visas include Amazon, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd., Microsoft, Meta Platforms Inc. and Apple Inc., according to the US government, as reported by Bloomberg. The attorneys general who sued to block the fee argued it would be particularly damaging in key public sectors, including education and health care. “The administration’s illegal effort to ruin this program will make it harder for New Yorkers to get health care, disrupt our children’s education and hurt our economy,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. In addition to California, Massachusetts and New York, the lawsuit also includes Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin as challengers to the fee. (With input from Bloomberg)