Washington DC - The US Chamber of Commerce on Thursday filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's decision to impose a hefty $100,000 fee on H-1B visas for foreign skilled workers.

The lawsuit was filed in the US District Court for the District of Colombia on Thursday. It contends that the new $100,000 visa fee is "plainly unlawful" because of the damage it will cause to US businesses.

Chamber of Commerce lawyers argue that the new charge is so high that it will "inflict significant harm on American businesses" that rely on foreign skilled workers to function.

The complaint says businesses "would be forced to either dramatically increase their labor costs or hire fewer highly skilled employees for whom domestic replacements are not readily available."

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"This new fee would make it no longer economically viable for many, primarily smaller businesses," the lawsuit reads. "Indeed, a fee of $100,000 would significantly reduce participation in the program."

The suit names Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

President Donald Trump hiked the H-1B visa fee to $100,000 via executive order on September 19, claiming, "The large-scale replacement of American workers through systemic abuse of the program has undermined both our economic and national security."

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick doubled down on the claim that US companies should hire Americans rather than people from abroad, saying that businesses should "stop bringing in people to take our jobs."

In a statement, the US Chamber of Commerce's Vice President Neil Bradley said the fee will make it "cost-prohibitive for US employers, especially start-ups and small and midsize businesses, to utilize the H-1B program."