Judge rules $100,000 H-1B visa fee unlawful tax

A U.S. District Judge in Boston, Leo Sorokin, struck down former President Trump’s $100,000 fee for new H‑1B visas, ruling it was an unlawful tax not authorized by Congress; the fee, intended to deter skilled-immigrant petitions, had barely been collected (only about 85 payments by February) and was challenged by 20 Democratic state attorneys general. Sorokin said the charge is a tax in substance regardless of its label, and the White House did not comment.