President Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House on September 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.
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A federal judge on Monday struck down President Donald Trump’s policy that imposed a $100,000 fee on H-1B visa applications for employers.
Judge Leo Sorokin declared the visa payment policy in violation of the federal Administrative Procedure Act and the Constitution in a ruling in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
The H-1B policy was created in 1990 and is heavily used by major U.S. tech companies to attract highly skilled workers from overseas. The program allows U.S. employers to ask the government for permission to hire nonimmigrant workers in professional jobs for up to six years.
President Trump introduced a $100,000 fee in a presidential proclamation last September to limit the program, arguing that its abuses are harming the U.S. economy and national security through “massive displacement of American workers.”
Before the change, H-1B visa fees ranged from $2,000 to $5,000 per application, CNBC previously reported.
The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment on Sorokin’s sentencing.
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