U.S. lawmakers, including some Republicans, have welcomed the federal court order striking down the $100,000 fee on H-1B visa applications, which the White House is expected to challenge in the appeals court.

Republican lawmakers focused on H-1B visas for healthcare workers and teachers who are in short supply particularly in rural areas, rather than on the IT sector, which benefits from this visa category.

“Many school districts in rural and remote parts of the state rely on the H-1B visa programme to bring quality teachers to their communities,” said Senator Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska.

H-1B visa | The Hindu’s coverage on U.S. work immigration visa fee hike and its impact

She said the H-1B was not a partisan issue in Alaska and noted the court order came at a critical time when schools are hiring before next fall.

A White House spokesperson indicated that the order will be challenged in an appellate court.

“The H-1B programme has been abused for decades, and President Trump finally took action to fix it,” White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said.

“A federal judge in Washington already upheld a nearly identical order, and the administration is confident this order will be reversed on appeal,” Mr. Rogers said.

“I'm glad to see the court block President Trump's unlawful H-1B visa fees, which imposed significant new costs and an unnecessary burden on already understaffed healthcare facilities across the country,” Congressman Don Beyer, a Democrat from North Virginia, said in a post on X.

Republican Congressman Mike Lawler welcomed the federal court order and said he was working on legislation to exempt healthcare workers from this fee.

“I have been working to exempt healthcare workers from this fee that only exacerbates the current staffing shortages in healthcare. That's why I introduced the bipartisan H-1Bs for Physicians and the Healthcare Workforce Act. While we continue to push this legislation through Congress, this ruling is welcome news,” Mr. Lawler said.

Congressman Sanford D Bishop Jr, a Democrat from Georgia, too, applauded the ruling blocking President Trump's $100,000 fee for employers' H-1B applications.

“The $100,000 fee for employers' H-1B applications would have discouraged the best and the brightest from coming to America and helping our economy grow, and to innovate,” Mr Bishop said.

He said underserved and rural hospitals, including those in southwest Georgia, had trouble with full staffing even before the Trump administration announced the $100,000 H-1B visa fee.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who led the multi-state coalition that filed the lawsuit last year, cheered the ruling, saying the visas will allow U.S. employers to fill jobs in industries such as healthcare that are experiencing labour shortages.

“This tax was an attack on America's ability to attract and retain the high-skilled talent that strengthens our economy and helps us meet critical workforce needs,” Mr. Bonta said in a statement.

“California remains open for business, open to talent, and committed to ensuring our communities have essential services -- from healthcare to education — that depend on a strong, skilled workforce,” Mr. Bonta said.

New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport, too, welcomed the ruling. “The courts have agreed with us that the Trump adminstration cannot place an unprecedented $100,000 fee on all H-1B visa applicants,” she said.

“In New Jersey, we will always step up for the immigrant nurses, physicians, researchers, and other vital high-skilled workers that help make NJ great,” Ms. Davenport said.

Arizona Congressman Eli Crane, who has moved a bill in Congress to end H-1B visa abuse, said Congress can fix the H-1B programme without judicial obstruction.

“Although an activist judge blocked President Trump's reforms to the H-1B program, Congress can fix it without judicial obstruction. Urge your representative to cosponsor the End H-1B Visa Abuse Act of 2026, which halts and significantly reforms this broken system,” said Crane, a Republican.

A federal judge struck down the Trump administration's $100,000 fee on H-1B visas for highly skilled workers on Monday, which California and 19 other states had challenged.

A federal judge Leo Sorokin of Massachusetts ruled that the $100,000 fee imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump for H-1B applications was unlawful because it lacked Congressional approval.

In September last year, Mr. Trump signed a proclamation adding the $100,000 fee for new H-1B visa applications.