New Delhi, June 9 -- President Donald Trump's plan to charge employers a $100,000 fee for sponsoring foreign workers under the H-1B visa programme was blocked by a US federal judge on Monday.

US District Judge Richard Stearns ruled that the proposed payments for H-1B visa applications introduced through a September 2025 proclamation violated the principle of separation of powers.

Stearns' ruling came six months after a federal judge in Washington, D.C., backed the Trump administration in a similar lawsuit brought by the US Chamber of Commerce. The judge ruled that Congress had given the president the power to impose the proposed $100,000 fee on employers hiring foreign workers.

The H-1B visa program allows employers to petition for hig...