{"id":174075,"date":"2026-03-01T17:58:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-01T17:58:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/174075\/"},"modified":"2026-03-01T17:58:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-01T17:58:10","slug":"florida-universities-face-h-1b-hiring-freeze","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/174075\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida universities face H-1B hiring freeze"},"content":{"rendered":"

The panel that oversees public universities in Florida is set to meet Monday to approve a one-year ban on hiring new foreign faculty through the H-1 B visa system \u2013 a move critics said could harm research and education in the state.<\/p>\n

The popular visa program, established in 1990, allows U.S. employers to hire foreign professionals with highly specialized knowledge and at least a bachelor\u2019s degree. More than 500 foreign nationals were employed at Florida public and private universities under the program as of last year.<\/p>\n

The decision in Florida was the latest example of Republicans tightening immigration policies as part of President Donald Trump\u2019s \u201cAmerica First\u201d campaign platforms that also included mass deportations, increasing visa fees, revoking temporary safe-haven status and restricting legal immigration pathways.<\/p>\n

The Board of Governors, which oversees the university system, was responding to criticism by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who in October\u00a0urged<\/a>\u00a0the Board to \u201cpull the plug\u201d on H1-B visas during a press conference at the University of South Florida. Most of the Board members were appointed by DeSantis, who has regularly warned against universities trying to impose progressive ideology on students.<\/p>\n

DeSantis cited associate professors and administrative jobs in Florida held by citizens from China and an assistant swim coach from Spain. Other university jobs were held by citizens of Poland, Canada, Albania, Trinidad or the United Kingdom, he said.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cAre you kidding me? We can\u2019t produce an assistant swim coach from this country?\u201d DeSantis asked. He added, \u201cWhy aren\u2019t we producing math and engineering folks who can do this?\u201d<\/p>\n

In January, Texas ordered a similar freeze. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott directed state universities and agencies to table H-1B visa hirings through May 2027.<\/p>\n

Critics of a temporary freeze on hiring said it could hinder research and educational efforts across Florida\u2019s higher education institutions as talented job candidates with \u201cexceptional minds\u201d go elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Ray Rodrigues, chancellor of the State University System of Florida, said last month that a pause in H1-B visa hiring, which would last until Jan. 5, 2027, if approved, would permit time for a study of the cost of the program \u201cas well as how the program is used by our universities.\u201d<\/p>\n

The halt would not affect existing employees hired under the H1-B program at Florida schools, only potential new hires. Other visa programs also would not be affected. H1-B visas are generally good for three years, with a possible three-year extension, for a maximum of six years.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Chair of the board, Alan Levine, said the goal is to make an informed policy decision. He encouraged board members to consult with universities before the final vote. Some Board members said that temporarily suspending H1-B hiring may do more harm than good.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe should collect data before pausing a process that is so critical to our system,\u201d said Kimberly Dunn, a Board member and associate professor at Florida Atlantic University.<\/p>\n

Carson Dale, student body president of Florida State University and a BOG member, has raised concerns that the pause could impede universities\u2019 ability to hire \u201cexceptional minds\u201d for faculty and research jobs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis regulation has the practical effect of excluding otherwise highly qualified candidates before individual merit can be assessed,\u201d Dale said. \u201cTemporarily closing access to that (international) talent pool materially constrains our ability to hire based on merit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Claims that the visa program is taking jobs away from Americans are overstated, said Thomas Kennedy, a policy analyst for the Florida Immigration Coalition. He said the number of H1-B visas at the state\u2019s universities is too small to have much impact.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re not statistically significant,\u201d said Kennedy, a doctoral student at Florida International University. \u201cThe impact of the H1-B visa is on the H1-B visa holder themself \u2013 having no protections.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said foreign employees in the program are often paid less than their American counterparts.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe program needs reform and lends itself to labor exploitation,\u201d Kennedy said. \u201cIt brings people here who are dependent on their job to avoid deportation, are unable to organize or join a union and are discouraged from speaking out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rodrigues, the chancellor of the State University System, has said the board plans to study the pay issue during the hiring pause.<\/p>\n

The University of Florida\u2019s top lobbyist in Tallahassee, former Rep. Chuck Clemons, said universities are already discouraged from using the H1-B program due to a $100,000 application fee imposed under an executive order signed by Trump in September.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe large-scale replacement of American workers through systemic abuse of the program,\u201d the president\u2019s order reads, \u201chas undermined both our economic and national security, with the largest impact seen in critical science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clemons said, \u201cWe\u2019re not going to pay $100,000 to do an application, so it\u2019s basically priced us out of that particular market right now, so we just got to wait and see.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added, however, that the moratorium could curtail UF\u2019s ability to fill medical professional openings.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to hire around 200 medical doctors,\u201d Clemons said. \u201cIf (the pool) is international, (the) filling of those positions is easier \u2013 if we\u2019re relying on just domestic doctors, it makes it harder to fill those positions.\u201d<\/p>\n

The executive action comes as many immigration policy proposals in the Legislature have failed to gain much traction. Lawmakers are in session in Tallahassee until March 13.<\/p>\n

They include:<\/p>\n

\u2014 A Democratic measure to require immigration enforcement officers to display identification and restrict their use of face coverings.<\/p>\n

\u2014 A Republican bill that would fine violators of immigration enforcement agreements and use the money to compensate victims of crimes by immigrants.<\/p>\n

\u2014 A GOP bill to require commercial truck drivers to be lawful residents who speak English, with fines of up to $50,000 for companies that hire drivers who don\u2019t comply.<\/p>\n

\u2014 A Democratic proposal to require all employers verify the eligibility of prospective workers through the federal E-Verify system.<\/p>\n

\u2014 A Republican bill that would require supervisors of elections to verify the citizenship status of voters and mark driver\u2019s licenses in Florida as \u201cNC\u201d for non-citizens.<\/p>\n

A year ago, DeSantis and lawmakers reached a compromise on a set of sweeping immigration policies that put the governor in charge of a new state board of immigration enforcement, toughened punishments for crimes committed by immigrants in the U.S. illegally and required state and local governments to cooperate with federal deportation efforts.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Maguire reports via Fresh Take Florida, a news service of the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications. The reporter can be reached at\u00a0[email\u00a0protected]<\/a>. You can donate to support our students\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The panel that oversees public universities in Florida is set to meet Monday to approve a one-year ban…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":174076,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[27510,27236,82564,23622,409,82565,28,3342,30,40564,2846,29,1422,19175,23131,82566,7290,28911,82567,82568,19115,412,5537,76518,2512,3650],"class_list":{"0":"post-174075","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-florida","8":"tag-alan-levine","9":"tag-board-of-governors","10":"tag-carson-dale","11":"tag-chuck-clemons","12":"tag-donald-trump","13":"tag-faculty-hiring","14":"tag-florida","15":"tag-florida-atlantic-university","16":"tag-florida-headlines","17":"tag-florida-immigration-coalition","18":"tag-florida-international-university","19":"tag-florida-news","20":"tag-florida-state-university","21":"tag-florida-universities","22":"tag-greg-abbott","23":"tag-h1b-visa","24":"tag-higher-education","25":"tag-immigration-policy","26":"tag-kimberly-dunn","27":"tag-mark-levin","28":"tag-ray-rodrigues","29":"tag-ron-desantis","30":"tag-texas","31":"tag-thomas-kennedy","32":"tag-university-of-florida","33":"tag-university-of-south-florida"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174075","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=174075"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174075\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/174076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=174075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=174075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=174075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}