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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Joseph Gedeon in Washington

Federal judge rules Trump’s $100,000 fee for H-1B visas unlawful

a man signs a document while seated at a desk
Donald Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office on 19 September 2025 introducing a $100,000 fee for H-1B visas. Photograph: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

A US judge has invalidated Donald Trump’s $100,000 annual fee on H-1B visa applications, ruling it an unlawful tax that violated federal administrative law and the constitution.

US district judge Leo Sorokin in Boston issued the 42-page ruling in a lawsuit filed by 20 Democratic state attorneys general challenging a fee Trump announced in September that dramatically raised the cost of obtaining H-1B visas.. The ruling vacated the sweeping fee, which was a 20-to-50 fold increase on existing rates, and the Trump administration is widely expected to appeal.

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