AT A GLANCE
- Gov. Greg Abbott ordered a freeze on new H-1B visa petitions at Texas public universities and state agencies through May 31, 2027.
- Institutions must receive written approval from the Texas Workforce Commission before seeking new visas.
- Universities and agencies are required to submit detailed reports on current and past H-1B workers.
- Higher education advocates warn the move could weaken Texas’ research, medical, and innovation workforce.
Abbott Directs State Agencies to Pause H-1B Hiring Through 2027
Gov. Greg Abbott has directed all Texas public universities and state agencies to halt new H-1B visa applications, escalating his administration’s scrutiny of foreign workers employed at taxpayer-funded institutions.
Under the directive issued Tuesday, universities and agencies may not initiate or file new H-1B visa petitions without written permission from the Texas Workforce Commission. The freeze remains in place through the end of the 2027 legislative session on May 31, 2027.
Abbott also ordered institutions to submit detailed workforce reports to the commission, including how many new or renewed H-1B petitions were filed in 2025, how many H-1B workers are currently sponsored, job titles, countries of origin, visa expiration dates, and documentation showing efforts were made to offer qualified Texans a “reasonable opportunity” to apply for those positions.
“State government must lead by example and ensure that employment opportunities — particularly those funded with taxpayer dollars — are filled by Texans first,” Abbott said in a statement.
Abbott Signals Broader Immigration Push
Abbott previewed the action a day earlier during an interview with conservative radio host Mark Davis, saying his office had requested visa data from public universities and was preparing an “action plan” after reviewing the information.
“I don’t see any reason why we need any H-1B visa employees in our public schools in the state of Texas,” Abbott said Monday, adding that the state would evaluate whether any roles truly require “some unique skill set.”
Abbott also suggested some visa holders may have entered the country during the Biden administration and overstayed their visas, echoing rhetoric aligned with Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement agenda.
“Those are the type of people that the Trump administration is trying to remove,” Abbott said.
Universities Ordered to Turn Over Data
Emails obtained by Quorum Report show Abbott’s office last week asked leaders of the Texas A&M University System to provide data on employees working under H-1B visas by close of business Monday.
The request followed reporting by conservative outlet The Dallas Express, which said Texas A&M spent roughly $3.25 million on H-1B sponsorships and related costs over five years. That figure was compared with approximately $1.1 million spent by the University of Texas at Dallas during a similar period.
H-1B visas allow employers to hire foreign workers in specialized occupations requiring at least a bachelor’s degree. Public universities and academic medical centers frequently use the program to recruit professors, researchers, physicians, and other highly trained professionals.
Federal immigration data show that as of Sept. 30, 2025, Dallas ISD employed 230 H-1B visa holders, the highest among education-related employers in Texas. Other major sponsors include UT Southwestern Medical Center, Texas A&M University, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, and the University of Texas at Austin.
Institutions Say They Will Comply
Texas A&M officials said the system had already stopped sponsoring new H-1B petitions requiring a $100,000 federal fee imposed last year by the Trump administration.
“We have received Governor Abbott’s directive ordering a freeze on new H-1B visa petitions at Texas public institutions of higher education, and we are fully complying,” said Chris Bryan, the system’s vice chancellor for marketing and communications.
The University of Texas System, which oversees 13 institutions, said it has submitted its visa data and frozen new applications while awaiting further guidance from the Texas Workforce Commission.
Higher Education Leaders Warn of Fallout
Higher education advocates caution that limiting universities’ ability to recruit international faculty and researchers could have long-term economic consequences for Texas.
“What has made U.S. higher education the best in the world is that we have been able to attract the best people for these positions,” said Miriam Feldblum, co-founder and CEO of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration.
She noted that federal changes, including the $100,000 fee for some new H-1B hires, already threaten universities’ competitiveness in global research and medical fields.
Immigration attorney Charles Foster echoed those concerns, arguing that H-1B visas are not a cost-cutting tool but a way to recruit elite talent. “You cut off the H-1B, you cut off the line by which the best and the brightest can immigrate,” he said. “We’re just hurting ourselves.”
Texas Joins a Broader Trend
Texas is not alone in targeting university use of H-1B visas. In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis directed the state’s public universities to curb the program last year, with a proposal now under consideration to pause new hires through early 2027.
Abbott’s order does not affect current H-1B visa holders, but it effectively freezes future hires unless state officials grant approval — a move that critics say could reshape Texas’ higher education and healthcare workforce for years to come.
