Gov. Greg Abbott has directed all public universities and state agencies to freeze new H-1B visa applications, escalating his administration’s scrutiny of foreign workers employed at taxpayer-funded institutions. Under the directive, public universities and state agencies may not initiate or file new H-1B visa petitions without written permission from the Texas Workforce Commission through the end of the next legislative session on May 31, 2027.
An H-1B visa is a U.S. nonimmigrant visa allowing employers to temporarily hire foreign professionals in 'specialty occupations' requiring at least a bachelor’s degree, such as IT, engineering, or healthcare. It is employer-sponsored, typically valid for three years (extendable to six), and limited to 85,000 new visas annually, often awarded via a lottery.
Additionally, Abbott ordered agencies and higher education institutions to submit detailed reports to the commission, including the number of new or renewed H-1B visa petitions filed in 2025, the number of H-1B visa holders currently sponsored, job titles, countries of origin and visa expiration dates, and directed agencies and universities to provide documentation showing they made an effort to give qualified Texans a reasonable opportunity to apply for positions filled by H-1B visa holders.
Concerning the directives, Abbot said, “State government must lead by example and ensure that employment opportunities — particularly those funded with taxpayer dollars — are filled by Texans first.”
According to Abbott in an interview on a radio talk show, he said the state sought visa information from public schools and universities and expected o announce an “action plan” after reviewing the data.
“I don’t see any reason why we need any H-1B visa employees in our public schools in the state of Texas. But we’re going to find out if there’s some unique skill set or whatever the case may be,” said Abbott.
Abbott added there may be some visa holders who may have overstayed.
After reports that the Texas A&M University System made us of individuals with H-1B visas, Abbott’s office requested data on those employees, with The Dallas Express also requesting the information which went unanswered for months and then filing a complaint with the Texas AG office before finally receiving the information.
The outlet reported that Texas A&M spent about $3.25 million on H-1B visa sponsorships and related costs over roughly five years, compared with about $1.1 million spent by the University of Texas at Dallas during a similar period.
According to federal immigration data as of September 2025, Dallas ISD employs 230 H-1B visa holders, the most of any education-related employer in Texas, followed by UT Southwestern Medical Center with 220 and Texas A&M University with 210. Other major employers include UT MD Anderson Cancer Center and the University of Texas at Austin. Texas A&M University System had already discontinued sponsoring new H-1B visa petitions that would require it to pay a $100,000 federal fee, according to Chris Bryan, the system’s vice chancellor for marketing and communications, and have frozen new H-1B applications until further instructions are provided.
Texas is among several states examining the use and possible abuse of H-1B visas for hiring and the failure to prioritize hiring U.S. citizens.