US federal Judge Struck down Trump’s $100,000 H-1B visa fee

A federal judge decided on Monday that a $100,000 fee imposed by Former President Donald Trump for new H-1B visas for skillful, foreign, and non-immigrant workers was unconstitutional and set the fee aside. The Judge claimed the fee was created to collect a tax that was not approved by Congress.

Key takeaway

Judge says Trump didn’t have power to raise H-1B visa fee to $100,000
White House says Trump was acting legally, plans to overturn decision
California AG says decision is good for bringing in more skilled foreign labor.

U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin of Boston ruled on a challenge against a fee announced by Trump in September that significantly raised the cost of obtaining H-1B visas. At issue were the 20 Democratic State Attorneys General who filed the challenge.

The H-1B visa program issues 65,000 visas each year, which are accompanied by an additional 20,000 visas for workers with advanced degrees, which are issued for a duration of three to six years. Prior to Trump’s announcement, the cost to employers for petitioning a foreign worker for a visa ranged from $2,000 to $5,000 and depended on a number of variables.

Court filings stated that the increased cost of the fee has resulted in a decline in the number of requests for H-1B visas. Trump’s administration noted in a filing dated March that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services received 85 payments of the $100,000 fee as of February 15.

However, Sorokin, who was appointed by Democratic President Barack Obama, found that the fee wasn’t a penalty, but rather a tax that the Republican president had no congressional authority to impose.

“In this case, the substance and application of the $100,000 payment, regardless of what the payment is called, demonstrates that it is a tax,” he said.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment immediately.

Note:- All these information source taken from repuated news Source.

Reference-

https://www.nbcnews.com/