{"id":143799,"date":"2026-01-30T07:16:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T07:16:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/143799\/"},"modified":"2026-01-30T07:16:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T07:16:12","slug":"texas-freezes-h-1b-visas-for-state-agencies-higher-education-amid-investigation-into-federal-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/143799\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas freezes H-1B visas for state agencies, higher education amid investigation into federal program"},"content":{"rendered":"

AUSTIN (Nexstar) \u2014 Gov. Greg Abbott announced an investigation into the federal H-1B visa program<\/a> in \u201clight of recent reports of abuse,\u201d according to a letter signed by the governor. He directed all state agencies controlled by a gubernatorially appointed head and public institutions of higher education to freeze all H-1B visa applications until May 2027.<\/p>\n

Those institutions are also required to submit a report to the Texas Workforce Commission by March 27 that identifies how many H-1B visa holders the agency currently sponsors, how many applications and renewals it has filed, the country of origin for the H-1B visa holders, their roles, when their visa expires, and any proof that the agency tried to fill the job currently held by a visa holder with a Texas candidate first.<\/p>\n

The Texas Workforce Commission told Nexstar it does not currently keep track of the number of Texas employees sponsored under a H-1B visa because it is a federal program.<\/p>\n

Border Report: US tightens rules on H-1B visas for high-skilled workers <\/a><\/p>\n

The freeze on new and renewal applications will remain in effect until after the completion of the 90th state legislative session, which will gavel in on January 2027.<\/p>\n

\u201cState government must lead by example and ensure that employment opportunities \u2014 particularly those funded with taxpayer dollars \u2014 are filled by Texans first,\u201d Abbott said in a news release announcing the investigation.<\/p>\n

Abbott hinted at the freeze during an appearance on the Mark Davis Show<\/a> on Monday where he called the H-1B program an extraordinary controversy. \u201cWe want to make sure that our communities are not being \u2014 having people come in and take jobs that Texans can easily fill,\u201d Abbott said on the radio show.<\/p>\n

Nexstar asked the Governor\u2019s Office if there was any specific example of fraud or abuse of the H-1B program. A spokesperson with his office did not point to a specific example but said there was a lot reporting around the federal program.<\/p>\n

Republicans in Washington D.C. have filed bills to abolish the program<\/a> over concerns it is taking away jobs from American workers.<\/p>\n

The H-1B program allows companies to hire foreign nationals for \u201cspecialty occupations.\u201d The intent was to help companies hire for specialty skills if they could not find those skills in the American workforce. The U.S. Department of Labor requires companies <\/a>to pay H-1B visa holders at least the same amount paid to other workers with similar experience, or the prevailing wage, whichever is highest.<\/p>\n

Jason Finkelman, an immigration attorney, compared attacking the program to shooting yourself in the foot. He said public universities are in desperate need for highly-skilled and qualified researchers and professors.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause it\u2019s important for them to be able to teach and train US workers with the best talent they need,\u201d Finkelman said.<\/p>\n

The federal government caps the number of H-1B visas to 85,000 per year, but it allows certain cap-exempt institutions to apply all year long and not be subject to that limit. Universities are an example of a cap-exempt institution.<\/p>\n

According to federal data<\/a>, Texas A&M University was awarded 214 H-1B visas in fiscal year 2025. A spokesperson for the university system said it stopped applying for new H-1B visas after the Trump required employers to pay $100,000 for each visa holder.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have received Governor Abbott\u2019s directive ordering a freeze on new H-1B visa petitions at Texas public institutions of higher education, and we are fully complying with that directive,\u201d a Texas A&M University System spokesman said in an email.\u00a0\u201cThe System remains committed to protecting Texas taxpayers, complying with the law, and ensuring that Texas students and communities are served by a strong and qualified workforce.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Texas American Association of University Professors, which is affiliated with the Texas American Federation of Teachers, denounced the governor\u2019s decision on Wednesday morning.<\/p>\n

\u201cGovernor Abbott\u2019s order will hurt the student experience and diminish the value of teaching and research at Texas institutions of higher education,\u201d Dr. Brian Evans, president of Texas AAUP-AFT, said in a news release. \u201cNowhere will that impact be more pronounced than our world class university medical centers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPatients don\u2019t care where their doctors and nurses are from, as long as they\u2019re getting the best possible care,\u201d Evans said. \u201cTexas needs its public universities to continue being the economic engines driving the state, not mere vehicles for Governor Abbott\u2019s political agenda.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finkelman also questions what authority the governor has when it comes to a federal program.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure what, if anything, the governor can actually do as it pertains to limiting universities\u2019 ability to utilize the H-1B visa program,\u201d Finkelman said.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced his office is investigating three North Texas businesses accused of abusing the H-1B visa program. Paxton\u2019s office alleged these companies \u201cengaged in fraudulent activity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAny\u00a0criminal\u00a0who\u00a0attempts\u00a0to\u00a0scam\u00a0the H-1B visa program\u00a0and use\u00a0\u2018ghost\u00a0offices\u2019\u00a0or other fraudulent ploys\u00a0should\u00a0be prepared to face the full\u00a0force\u00a0of the law,\u201d Paxton said. \u201cAbuse and fraud within these programs strip jobs and opportunities away from Texans.\u00a0I\u00a0will use every tool available to\u00a0uproot and hold accountable any individual or company engaged in these fraudulent schemes. My office will\u00a0continue\u00a0to thoroughly\u00a0review\u00a0the\u00a0H-1B visa\u00a0program\u00a0and always work to put the interests of Americans first.\u201d<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"AUSTIN (Nexstar) \u2014 Gov. Greg Abbott announced an investigation into the federal H-1B visa program in \u201clight of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":143800,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[60327,392,27,29,28,4462,60328],"class_list":{"0":"post-143799","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-texas","8":"tag-federal-program","9":"tag-greg-abbott","10":"tag-texas","11":"tag-texas-headlines","12":"tag-texas-news","13":"tag-texas-workforce-commission","14":"tag-visa-holder"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143799","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=143799"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143799\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/143800"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=143799"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=143799"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=143799"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}