Washington, Dec. 25 -- A US federal judge on Tuesday upheld President Donald Trump's $100,000 fee to process H-1B visa applications, acknowledging it could "inflict significant harm on American businesses and institutions of higher education". In a 56-page opinion, US District Judge Beryl Howell wrote that the president has "broad statutory authority" to address "a problem he perceives to be a matter of economic and national security". Trump has argued that the H-1B visa system was being abused to replace American workers with people willing to work for less money. The H-1B programme offers 65,000 visas annually, with another 20,000 visas for workers with advanced degrees, approved for three to six years. Trump's order would sharply raise the cost of obtaining H-1B visas, which had typically come with about $2,000 to $5,000 in fees depending on various factors. Tech entrepreneurs - including Trump's former ally Elon Musk - have warned against targeting H-1B visas. P13...