Trump's 100-Fold H-1B Visa Fee Hike Blocked Again by Court: "No Authority"

Attempt to Raise H-1B Visa Application Fee
From 1,000 Dollars to 100,000 Dollars

The Trump administration's attempt to raise the H-1B specialty occupation visa application fee to 100,000 dollars has been blocked by a U.S. court.

U.S. President Donald Trump. The White House

According to Reuters on July 24 (local time), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston rejected the Trump administration's request to suspend the effect of a lower court ruling that had prohibited the increase in specialty occupation visa fees.

The appellate court, consisting of three federal judges appointed by a Democratic president, determined that the Trump administration had not sufficiently demonstrated its authority to increase the fees during the trial process.

President Donald Trump announced in September of last year that the H-1B visa application fee would be raised one hundredfold from the existing 1,000 dollars (about 1.46 million won) to 100,000 dollars.

This move was based on the perception that companies hiring foreign workers at low wages through the H-1B visa program are crowding out jobs for Americans.

The H-1B visa is issued to foreign professionals, and each year, only 85,000 new visas have been granted through a lottery system.

In general, U.S. companies have paid the H-1B visa fees on behalf of employees, who then have worked in the United States for three to six years under this visa before applying for permanent residency.

When the Trump administration decided to raise the fees for new applicants, attorneys general from 20 Democratic-led states, including California, filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn this decision.

Last month, a lower court ruled that the visa fee imposed by the Trump administration amounted to an illegal tax not approved by Congress, and on this day, the appellate court once again put a halt to the measure.

According to materials submitted to the court during this lawsuit, H-1B visa applications have reportedly shrunk significantly after the fee hike.

Reuters reported that the White House did not respond to requests for comment on the ruling.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.