Led by New York attorney general Letitia James, a coalition of 18 other attorneys general on Friday filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts, challenging the administration’s decision to impose a one-time $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa petitions. The states argue the fee hike is massive, abrupt and imposed without legal authority or due process.

The H-1B programme, a cornerstone of the US skilled-immigration system and heavily used by Indian professionals, allows employers to hire highly trained workers in specialised fields. The attorneys general say the new fee threatens to place the programme out of reach for public institutions, government agencies and non-profit employers that rely on H-1B workers to keep essential services running.