Trump’s $100,000 Visa Fee Shut Down Because Congress Owns the Monopoly Board
KEY POINTS
- •In September 2025, Trump announced a $100,000 fee for new H-1B visas aimed at deterring replacement of American workers.
- •The Boston-based 1st US Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s June 2026 ruling blocking the fee as an unauthorized tax.
- •This legal decision, supported by 20 Democratic state attorneys general, responded to dwindling employer demand after the drastic fee hike.
In a plot sure to inspire every aspiring bureaucrat’s daydream, Trump’s 2025 executive order slapped a $100,000 fee on new H-1B work visas, declaring war on ‘lower-paid, lower-skilled labor.’ The Boston-based 1st US Circuit Court of Appeals gave this legendary cash grab a hard nope, backing US District Judge Leo Sorokin’s June verdict that called the fee what it is: a tax requiring Congressional blessing—not presidential whimsy. Demand for these visas—usually 65,000 tech-focused crunches plus 20,000 advanced-degree Tigers—plummeted so badly few coughed up the new fee by mid-February 2026. Meanwhile, 20 Democratic state attorneys general gleefully raised the legal bat. The White House stayed silent, probably busy counting less-than-six-figure visa payouts instead.
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(1 of 3)Trump’s $100,000 H-1B fee got blocked because, surprise, only Congress handles taxes. Presidents trying to print executive-order money is apparently not a thing—who knew? Tech visas have never been less expensive or more politically dramatic.
Trump tried selling H-1B visas for the price of a Tesla and courts said hold your wallet. Taxation still requires Congress, even when you act like a Kickstarter campaign.
Landing an H-1B with Trump’s fee was like entering a secret society that costs more than a used car, and surprise, the judges said no VIP pass.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 7/25/2026 | Author: Katherine Li,Kelsey Vlamis
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