Federal Judge Blocks $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visa Applications

A federal judge ruled Monday that the Trump administration did not have the authority to impose a $100,000 fee on H-1B visa applications, striking down a policy that had drawn legal challenges since it was introduced last year.

H-1B visas allow U.S. companies to hire highly skilled foreign workers in specialized fields like technology, engineering, and medicine. President Trump added the fee last year, arguing the program was being overused. But the judge ruled that only Congress has the power to create a tax of that kind, and that lawmakers never gave the executive branch that authority.

The lawsuit was brought by a coalition of Democratic attorneys general, who argued the fee amounted to an unauthorized tax on employers seeking to fill specialized roles.