The University of Utah has joined a lawsuit against the federal government challenging new rules by the U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Department of Homeland Security that narrow the definition of positions that quality for H1B sponsorship and dramatically increase the wages required to be paid to H-1B employees. These changes could dramatically impact the university’s recruitment and retention of foreign talent, including faculty and physicians. The new rules also impact opportunities available to graduating international students.

The university joined the lawsuit as part of its affiliation with the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, an organization that works to increase public understanding of how immigration policies and practices impact students, campuses and organizations. More about the lawsuit is available online.

According to Miriam Feldblum, executive director of the alliance, “The Presidents’ Alliance challenged these interim final rules not only because the administration procedurally short-circuited congressionally mandated public comment requirements, but also because these rules are substantially unreasonable and would cut off an important pipeline of talent, innovation and knowledge. There’s no question that Congress needs to enact comprehensive immigration reform to address challenges in our immigration system, but these rules put us on the wrong path. They will lead to job losses and not job gains for our national economy. A robust, fair, and effective immigration system is paramount for our nation’s recruitment and retention of international students and scholars. Yet, these rules undermine higher education’s ability to welcome and train international top talent, conduct critical research, carry out teaching, and nurture innovation and academic discovery.”