A federal judge on Tuesday authorized the Trump administration to impose a $100,000 fee on widely used technology work visas, a blow to the sector.

US President Donald Trump announced in September this measure concerning H-1B visas, which allow foreign workers with specific qualifications (scientists, engineers and computer programmers among others) to come and work in the United States.

The Republican had, since his first term, expressed his desire to limit them in order to give priority to American workers.

The measure had provoked a backlash in sectors that make extensive use of it, particularly in tech, but also among countries heavily affected, such as India.

The United States Chamber of Commerce had taken legal action with the Association of American Universities (AAU), arguing in particular that this decision was not within Donald Trump's purview.

They had emphasized that the holders of these visas contributed "enormously to American productivity, prosperity, and innovation."

In her decision, reviewed by AFP, Federal Judge Beryl Howell noted that "Congress granted the President broad statutory powers, which he used to issue the proclamation in order to address, in whatever manner he deemed appropriate, a matter which he considered to be a matter of economic and national security."

"The decision and its implementation are legal and therefore withstand the plaintiffs' appeals," she concluded.

The H-1B visa was created to allow employers to sponsor highly skilled foreign workers whose qualifications are not widely available in the United States. It is initially granted for a period of three years, which can be extended up to six years.

The United States issues 85,000 H-1B visas annually through a lottery system, and India accounts for three-quarters of the recipients.

Donald Trump's decision was also attacked in October, in a separate proceeding, by a coalition of hospitals, schools and unions who denounced the impossibility of recruiting foreign doctors and teachers at that price.