Donald Trump’s $100,000 H-1B visa application fee declared illegal; here’s what complete court order by Federal judge says

A federal judge has blocked a $100,000 fee for H-1B visa applications imposed by the Trump administration in September 2025. The US District Judge Leo Sorokin in Massachusetts sided with California and 19 other states that sued to block the fee. An appointee of former President Obama, Sorkin agreed with the group of Democratic-led states that the administration exceeded its authority, and that the fee usurped Congress’s power to set immigration policy and taxes. Sorokin said that Trump lacked the authority to impose the hefty fee on businesses without approval by Congress.

“Here, the substance and application of the $100,000 payment reveal that it is a tax, regardless of what the payment is called,” wrote Sorokin.