Washington, June 9:
A United States federal judge has struck down former President Donald Trump’s controversial $100,000 fee on H-1B visas, ruling that the measure was unlawful and beyond presidential authority.
The decision was delivered by US District Judge Leo Sorokin in Boston, who found that the steep fee imposed on highly skilled foreign workers effectively functioned as a tax.
The court held that such a levy cannot be introduced by the executive branch without approval from Congress, making the policy invalid.
The fee, introduced in September 2025, had dramatically increased the cost of hiring foreign professionals under the H-1B visa programme—from the usual few thousand dollars to $100,000 per application.
The move was part of a broader attempt by the Trump administration to restrict immigration and prioritise domestic hiring.
The policy faced immediate legal challenges from a coalition of 20 Democratic state attorneys general, who argued that the fee placed an unfair burden on employers and hindered access to global talent.