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Trump's $100,000 H-1B visa fee is unlawful, US judge rules

Judge Leo T. Sorokin said the fee was an unauthorized tax and cited 20 Democratic state attorneys general in the challenge.

  • U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin in Boston struck down the $100,000 fee on Monday, ruling that the Trump administration's massive surcharge on new H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign workers is unlawful and invalid.
  • The court concluded the steep penalty constituted an unauthorized tax, with Judge Sorokin explicitly siding with the plaintiffs by stating that the White House had overstepped its executive authority to levy such financial demands without clear congressional approval.
  • The legal victory follows a high-profile lawsuit filed by 20 Democratic state attorneys general, led by California, who argued that the administration's policy would intentionally decimate local technology sectors, harm public universities, and trigger severe regional economic slowdowns.
  • The $100,000 annual surcharge was originally enacted via a presidential proclamation in September, targeting newly filed non-immigrant skilled worker petitions while attempting to bypass standard federal notice-and-comment administrative rules.
  • The landmark ruling provides immediate relief to corporate tech giants and academic research hubs, effectively neutralizing the administration's primary fiscal mechanism designed to deter American employers from recruiting overseas engineering, medical, and specialized tech talent.
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A U.S. federal judge declared illegal on Monday, June 8, the $100,000 rate imposed by President Donald Trump on employers filing H-1B visa applications for highly qualified foreign workers.The magistrate ruled, in a lawsuit filed by 20 Democratic-ruled states, that the Republican president's bill was ascribed to Congressional tax powers.In a different case in December, a federal judge had endorsed the $100,000 fee. That ruling is currently on ap…

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On Monday, a U.S. federal judge blocked the policy of Donald Trump's government that imposes a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visas for highly qualified foreign workers, considering the bill to be illegal.

·Guayaquil, Ecuador
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arcamax.com broke the news on Monday, June 8, 2026.
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