A judge blocks the $100,000 H-1B fee again. What changes?

A federal judge in California on September 30 blocked the Trump administration from implementing a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visas while a lawsuit proceeds. The ruling followed a separate order from a judge in Boston. The court said the agencies had not followed required rule-making steps.

What it means: Can employers now assume the fee is gone? No. The ruling is a temporary legal block, not a final decision on the policy. For companies that rely on specialist workers, it removes the immediate fee barrier while the case continues; the administration may still pursue a permanent fee through a formal process.