Federal Judge Blocks Trump's $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee

On September 30, US District Judge Haywood Gilliam, appointed by former President Barack Obama, ruled against a $100,000 fee imposed by President Donald Trump on new H-1B visas. The judge found that the US Citizenship and Immigration Services and the State Department had bypassed necessary rule-making procedures.

This ruling came after a coalition of unions, employers, and nonprofits requested to suspend the fee while their lawsuit proceeds. Previously, a federal judge in Boston had temporarily halted the fee in June, and the Boston-based appeals court declined to lift that order in July.

The Department of Homeland Security attempted to establish a permanent version of the fee at approximately $103,000. Trump justified the fee by claiming it would restrict foreign nationals deemed harmful to US interests, arguing that companies exploited the H-1B program to replace American workers with cheaper labor.

The H-1B program typically allows 65,000 visas annually, with an additional 20,000 for advanced degree holders.