US Judge Overturns Trump's H-1B Visa Fee Policy, Rules Government Exceeded Authority

(Central News Agency, San Francisco, 8th, by Zhang Xinyu) US President Trump announced last year that he would raise the H-1B work visa application fee to $100,000. US Federal District Judge Leo Sorokin today overturned this policy, ruling that the federal government exceeded its authority by collecting this fee without congressional approval.

According to ABC News, in a 42-page ruling, Judge Sorokin overturned the policy, writing: "The President has no power to levy taxes unless authorized by an act of Congress."

The report noted that Sorokin characterized the fee as a "tax" in his ruling, stating: "From the substance and application of this $100,000 fee, it is a tax, regardless of what the fee is called."

In September last year, US President Donald Trump announced a $100,000 fee for each new H-1B visa application, causing an uproar in the tech industry.

At the time, Trump said: "We will be able to keep those very productive people in our country, and in most cases, these companies will pay a large fee for this, and they will be very happy to do so."

In December last year, a coalition of multiple states filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, arguing that the visa fee increase would lead to severe labor shortages in public school systems, state universities, and public healthcare institutions that rely on foreign workers.

The government argued that the executive branch had the authority to collect this $100,000 fee; Sorokin rejected the Trump administration's claims.

The Trump administration has indicated it will appeal this ruling. (Editor: Wei Shu) 1150609