Federal Appeals Court Upholds Block on Trump Administration's $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit denied the federal government's request to reinstate a $100,000 H-1B visa fee, upholding a district court's order that found the policy unlawful. The court concluded that Congress did not clearly authorize the Executive Branch to impose such a fee and that the government was unlikely to succeed on its argument that the policy was not subject to review under the Administrative Procedure Act. This means employers are not currently required to pay the fee while the appeal proceeds.