Reacting to the ruling, Trump expressed frustration over the decision and accused federal judges of creating obstacles for his administration.
“These federal judges are really giving us a hard time. It’s really crazy what’s going on with the court system… They’re hurting our country very badly,” Trump said.
The comments came shortly after a federal court in Massachusetts invalidated the policy nationwide. The ruling removed a major cost burden that employers, universities and foreign professionals had feared would make it much harder to access the H-1B visa programme.
US District Judge Leo T. Sorokin ruled against the policy and ordered that it be scrapped completely. In his decision, the judge said the policy implementing the “proclamation is declared unlawful and is vacated in its entirety.”
The case was brought before the court by a group of 20 Democratic state attorneys general. They challenged the Trump administration’s September proclamation, which had sharply increased the cost of sponsoring new H-1B workers.
Th
e H-1B visa programme allows US employers to hire highly skilled foreign professionals in specialised fields such as technology, engineering and healthcare. Indian professionals make up the largest group of H-1B visa holders every year.
Before the fee hike was announced, employers generally paid between $2,000 and $5,000 in government charges for an H-1B application, depending on the category. Under the new policy, that amount jumped to $100,000 for new applicants.
Following the court ruling, several Indian diaspora organisations in the United States welcomed the decision, describing it as a positive step for both businesses and skilled workers.
“We welcome the Massachusetts federal court’s decision striking down the $100,000 H-1B visa fee, which restores predictability and fairness to the employment-based immigration system,” Khanderao Kand, chief of policy and strategy at the Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS), told PTI.
“Access to highly skilled global talent remains essential for the continued growth of the US’s technology, healthcare, and advanced manufacturing sectors. The judgment reinforces the principle that major policy changes must be grounded in statutory authority and economic realities,” he added.
While welcoming the decision, some community leaders cautioned that the issue may not be fully settled. “All stakeholders connected with H-1B visas will heave a sigh of relief after the court order, but one wonders if this is truly the end of the matter,” Sanjeev Joshipura, Executive Director, Indiaspora, told PTI.
Joshipura noted that even though the fee increase has been struck down, the administration could still make changes through other legal procedures.
“If the executive branch wishes to impose impediments on H-1B visa holders, as per the administration’s stated policy preferences, then they might still be able to do so through procedural means that do not run afoul of US law,” he said.