Texas Governor Greg Abbott has ordered an immediate freeze on new H-1B visa petitions across Texas state agencies and universities, citing reported abuse of the federal programme and the need to ensure American jobs go to American workers.
"In light of recent reports of abuse in the federal H-1B visa programme, and amid the federal government's ongoing review of that programme to ensure American jobs are going to American workers, I am directing all state agencies to immediately freeze new H-1B visa petitions," Abbott said in a letter to agency heads.
This comes a day after the Texas Governor launched an enquiry into the use of H-1B visas by the state's public schools, universities, and related institutions.
The H-1B visa programme allows US employers to bring in foreign professionals for specialised roles that usually require at least a bachelor’s degree. In Texas, the system has become a quiet but essential lifeline for public universities, academic medical centres and some school districts, helping them recruit professors, researchers, doctors and teachers when local talent is hard to find.
Like much of the country, Texas has grappled for years with an acute shortage of specialised teachers. Faced with unfilled classrooms and growing academic demands, schools and universities have increasingly turned to the H-1B programme as a practical way to keep courses running and essential services in place.
GOVERNOR CITES ABUSE OF VISA PROGRAMME
Abbott said the Texas economy must work for the benefit of Texas workers and Texas employers, stressing that state government should lead by example when it comes to hiring practices, particularly for jobs funded by taxpayers.
The governor pointed to President Donald Trump’s proclamation on restricting certain non-immigrant workers, noting that the H-1B programme was created to supplement the United States’ workforce, not to replace it.
"Evidence suggests that bad actors have exploited this programme by failing to make good-faith efforts to recruit qualified US workers before seeking to use foreign labour," Abbott said. In some cases, he added, employers have even fired American workers and replaced them with H-1B employees, often at lower wages.
TEXAS WORKERS SHOULD FILL TEXAS JOBS, ABBOTT SAYS
Abbott argued that the programme has increasingly been used to fill jobs that otherwise could and should have been filled by Texans, rather than attracting the best and brightest individuals from around the world for truly specialised roles.
Under the directive, no state agency led by a gubernatorially appointed head, or any public institution of higher education, may initiate or file new H-1B visa petitions without written permission from the Texas Workforce Commission until the end of the Texas Legislature’s 90th Regular Session on May 31, 2027.
Abbott also ordered all affected agencies and universities to submit a detailed report to the Texas Workforce Commission by March 27, 2026.
The report must outline the number of H-1B petitions filed in 2025, the number of visa holders currently sponsored, their countries of origin, job classifications, visa expiration dates, and documentation showing efforts to recruit qualified Texas candidates before hiring foreign workers.
The Texas Workforce Commission has been directed to issue any guidance needed to implement the order.
The H-1B visa programme allows foreign professionals in specialised occupations, especially in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, to work in the United States. The programme issues 65,000 visas each year, along with an additional 20,000 slots for applicants holding advanced degrees, typically valid for three to six years.
Last year, President Donald Trump imposed a new one-time fee of $100,000 on fresh H-1B applicants as part of his second-term immigration push. The measure was challenged in court by more than 20 US states, though Texas did not join the lawsuit.
In FY 2024, Indian nationals accounted for 71 per cent of all H-1B visa approvals, totalling over 283,000 petitions. While FY 2025 data reveal a significant structural shift. According to the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) and USCIS data released in late 2025, approvals for traditional Indian IT-service firms plummeted to a 10-year low, dropping 37% from the previous year.
Curated by Aisha Patel
