Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the state’s agencies and universities to freeze all new H-1B visa petitions through May 2027.
In a Jan. 27 letter, Mr. Abbott instructed Texas agencies and universities to review the H-1B program, which was created in 1990 to allow employers to sponsor temporary work visas.
In September, President Donald Trump signed an executive order requiring employers to pay a $100,000 fee for each new H-1B visa application — an increase from the roughly $3,500 employers previously paid. The order said abuse in the federal program has replaced “American workers with lower-paid, lower-skilled labor.”
Hospitals and research centers, which sponsored more than 4,000 H-1B visas as of June, have urged the federal government to waive the $100,000 fee for healthcare employees, but no exemption has been made. Because most medical residency programs start in the summer, healthcare employers are in wait-and-see mode for a potential waiver from the fee.
Citing the federal government’s investigation into the H-1B program, Mr. Abbott instructed agencies and universities to provide the following information to the Texas Workforce Commission by March 27:
- How many new and renewal petitions the entity submitted for H-1B visas in 2025.
- How many H-1B visa holders the entity currently sponsors.
- The country of origin, job classification and description, and anticipated visa expiration date for all H-1B visa holders.
- Documentation demonstrating efforts to provide qualified Texas candidates with a reasonable opportunity to apply for each position filled by a H-1B visa holder before a new petition was submitted for that position.
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