Immigration Practice Group Co-Chair Bernhard Mueller Assesses Court Ruling Against Trump’s $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee

In an interview with the Associated Press, Ogletree Deakins Immigration Practice Group Co-chair Bernhard Mueller weighs in on the limited impact of President Trump’s $100,000 H-1B visa fee following a federal court ruling that struck it down.

U.S. District Court Judge Leo Sorokin in Boston ruled Monday that the fee violated the Administrative Procedure Act, finding that the Trump administration imposed a tax on H-1B petitions without the required delegation of authority from Congress and siding with 20 states. In his assessment of the fee’s practical effect, Mueller notes that “the $100,000 fee was not a success in terms of revenue generation,” which is supported by government court filings showing only 85 fee payments, totaling $8.5 million, had been received as of mid-February 2026.

Read the Associated Press article here.