Second Judge Blocks Trump’s $100,000 H-1B Fee
A second US federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump’s $100,000 fee on certain new H-1B visas, delivering another legal setback to the administration’s effort to sharply increase costs for employers hiring highly skilled foreign workers.
California Judge Blocks $100,000 H-1B Fee
US District Judge Haywood Gilliam in California ruled that federal agencies had failed to follow required rule-making procedures before implementing the fee.
The order prevents US Citizenship and Immigration Services and the State Department from enforcing the charge while the case proceeds.
The lawsuit was brought by a coalition of unions, employers and nonprofit organisations, which argued that the administration could not introduce such a major fee without following the notice-and-comment process required under federal administrative law.
Second Court Ruling Against Trump H-1B Policy
The California decision follows a separate ruling by a federal judge in Boston in June that also blocked the $100,000 fee.
That earlier case was brought by 20 US states, and a federal appeals court subsequently declined to suspend the injunction while the administration’s appeal continues.
Trump introduced the charge in 2025 for certain H-1B workers seeking entry to the United States from abroad and recently extended the policy.
H-1B Legal Battle Continues
The latest decision does not end the wider legal dispute over the visa fee.
The Trump administration has argued that the measure is necessary to address alleged misuse of the H-1B programme and protect American workers.
Separate efforts are also underway to introduce a permanent H-1B fee exceeding $100,000 through the formal federal rule-making process.
