Washington, Oct. 16 -- The US Chamber of Commerce has filed a legal challenge to the administration's $100,000 fee on H-1B visa petitions, an official release by the Chamber stated on Thursday.

The Chamber's litigation argues that the new fee is unlawful because it overrides provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act that govern the H-1B program, including the requirement that fees be based on the costs incurred by the government in processing visas.

In announcing today's action, Neil Bradley, Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer at the US Chamber, issued the following statement:

"The new $100,000 visa fee will make it cost-prohibitive for US employers, especially start-ups and small and midsize businesses, to utili...