- US judge struck down $100,000 H-1B visa fee.
- The fee was ruled an unlawful tax without congressional approval.
- Twenty Democratic state attorneys general had challenged this measure.
A US federal judge has struck down the $100,000 fee imposed by President Donald Trump on new H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign workers, ruling that the charge amounted to an unlawful tax that had not been authorised by Congress. The decision was delivered by US District Judge Leo Sorokin in Boston on Monday in response to a lawsuit filed by 20 Democratic state attorneys general challenging the measure announced by Trump in September.
Court Ruling
Judge Leo Sorokin ruled that the $100,000 charge on new H-1B visa applications was unlawful and must be invalidated. The court concluded that the fee effectively functioned as a tax that lacked congressional approval.
The ruling represents a setback for the President Trump administration’s effort to significantly increase the cost of obtaining H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign workers.
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Legal Challenge
The case was brought by 20 Democratic state attorneys general who challenged the fee shortly after it was announced in September.
They argued against the dramatic increase in visa costs introduced under Trump’s proclamation. Following the legal challenge, the Boston federal court ruled in their favour, declaring the fee invalid.
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