The Trump administration has appealed a federal judge’s ruling invalidating President Donald Trump’s $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa applications, according to CNBC. CNBC reported that the Justice Department filed a notice of appeal Thursday after U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin of Massachusetts ruled that the administration lacked the authority to impose the fee without congressional approval. Reuters reported that Sorokin concluded the fee functioned as a tax rather than a permissible immigration-related charge authorized under existing federal law.
Reuters reported that Sorokin issued a nationwide injunction barring the State Department and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services from collecting or enforcing the fee. Trump announced the fee last year as part of a broader effort to reshape the H-1B visa program and reduce incentives for employers to hire foreign workers over Americans. Reuters reported that administration lawyers argued federal immigration law gives the president broad authority to restrict the entry of foreign nationals when doing so serves the national interest.
