A federal judge in Massachusetts on Monday struck down the $100,000 fee imposed last year on H-1B visas for highly skilled workers.
In a 42-page ruling in response to a lawsuit brought by 20 Democratic states, Judge Leo Sorokin, an Obama-appointed judge, agreed with the plaintiffs who argued the fee imposed by President Donald Trump’s executive order in September amounted to an “unauthorized tax.”
Created by Congress in 1990, the visas allow 65,000 highly skilled workers born outside the U.S. to work in the country per year, for up to six years. The visas have long been a target of immigration opponents, who allege it takes high-paying jobs from skilled Americans — a claim unsupported by research.
The plaintiffs who brought the lawsuit alleged Trump’s new policy would contribute to a shortage of teachers, medical professionals and academic researchers.