U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin ruled Monday that the Trump administration’s $100,000 fee for new H-1B visa applications is unlawful. The Boston-based judge invalidated the policy in response to a lawsuit filed by 20 Democratic state attorneys general.
The policy, first announced in September, would have significantly increased costs for companies hiring highly skilled foreign workers. The U.S. technology industry extensively uses the H-1B program to recruit global talent. Industry experts viewed the proposed fee as a major barrier to attracting international workers.