Federal judge strikes down Trump's $100,000 H-1B visa fee as unlawful tax exceeding executive authority

U.S. District Judge Leo T. Sorokin in Boston ruled that President Trump's $100,000 annual fee on new H-1B visa applications was unlawful, vacating it entirely. The judge sided with 20 states led by California, finding that Congress never authorized Trump to impose the fee and that the executive branch exceeded its authority in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act. The fee, originally announced in September 2025, had been challenged as an unconstitutional tax on skilled foreign workers. The nationwide ruling contradicted an earlier federal court decision that had upheld the fee hike. The case, Commonwealth of California v. Trump, represents a significant judicial rebuke of executive overreach on immigration policy.

"Congress never authorized President Donald Trump to impose the fee" — Judge Leo T. Sorokin's ruling striking down the H-1B visa fee as exceeding executive authority