New Delhi, Oct. 1 -- A second US federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump's $100,000 fee on new H-1B visas, providing temporary relief to Indian technology professionals and US companies that depend heavily on the programme.

US District Judge Haywood Gilliam in Oakland, California, ruled that US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the State Department had failed to follow required rule-making procedures before implementing the fee. The ruling follows a separate decision by a Boston federal judge in June that also blocked the charge. A federal appeals court subsequently declined to pause that ruling.

The latest decision does not permanently eliminate the $100,000 fee. Instead, it blocks the agencies from implementing...