A federal judge in Boston struck down the Trump administration's $100,000 [1] fee on new H-1B visa applications on June 8, 2026 [2].
The ruling removes a significant financial barrier for foreign professionals seeking to work in the U.S. It also limits the executive branch's ability to implement high-cost levies on immigration processes without explicit legislative approval.
The U.S. District Court in Boston determined that the fee was effectively a tax that the president lacked the authority to levy [3]. The Trump administration had previously implemented the $100,000 [1] charge with the stated intent of protecting American jobs by making it more expensive for companies to hire foreign workers.
This decision reverses a previous court ruling that had upheld the fee hike [4]. The court's current finding emphasizes that the administration exceeded its legal bounds by creating a financial requirement that functioned as a tax rather than a processing fee.
Legal challenges to the fee centered on the distinction between administrative costs and revenue generation. Because the fee was deemed a tax, the judge ruled it invalid under current law [3].
“A federal judge in Boston struck down the Trump administration's $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa applications.”
This ruling establishes a legal precedent regarding the limits of presidential authority in setting immigration fees. By classifying the $100,000 charge as an unauthorized tax, the court prevents the executive branch from using fee structures as a tool for economic protectionism unless such measures are passed by Congress.
