Judge halts increase in H-1B
Photo: Elise Amendola/AP/TT

Judge halts increase in H-1B visa fees for tech workers

A federal judge is blocking President Donald Trump's plan to raise a visa fee to $100,000 for immigrants in the U.S. tech industry.

The case concerns so-called H-1B visa applications that employers must pay for. The issue is that a visa for workers and technicians in the industry costs the equivalent of 943,000 kronor after the increase.

In a decision on Monday, federal judge Leo Sorokin of Massachusetts ruled that the fee violates the federal Administrative Procedure Act and the Constitution, CNBC reports.

The increase was introduced by Trump in September last year through a presidential order. The H-1B visa category, which has existed since 1990, had cost between $2,000 and $5,000 before the increase.

Many tech industry employees in the United States come from countries such as India.

The White House said it would appeal the judge's decision.

In this story
AuthorTT News AgencyEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for our readers
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