Pakistan, June 9 -- A United States (US) federal judge has blocked a Trump administration policy that would have imposed a $100,000 fee on each new H-1B visa application, halting one of the most controversial immigration measures introduced under the plan.

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The ruling was issued by Judge Leo Sorokin, who determined that the proposed charge functioned as a tax rather than a regulatory fee. He said that under the US Constitution, only Congress has the authority to introduce new taxes, making the executive order legally invalid.

The H-1B visa programme allows US companies to hire foreign professionals with specialised skills, including engineers, scientists and software developers. Visa...