Florida State University freezes H-1B visa hiring amid Trump immigration crackdown

The board of trustees that oversees Florida’s 12 public universities voted 14-2 not to hire any candidates who require such visas this year and to study whether their past use has disadvantaged American workers. governor of florida Ron DeSantis In October, the committee ordered an end to the practice, claiming universities were using them to displace U.S. citizens.

Board members who voted against the measure worried it would harm Florida’s ability to attract the best talent.

“This sends a message to people in Florida that this is not a place where they can go to work,” said Carson Dale, a board member representing the system’s 430,000 students who voted against the proposal.

DeSantis said in October that “colleges across the country are bringing in foreign workers on H-1B visas instead of hiring Americans.”

Florida’s decision follows a similar move by Texas. The H-1B program, one of the primary vehicles for bringing skilled white-collar workers into the United States, has been the focus of the Trump administration’s broader crackdown on immigration, which has included more high-profile efforts to expand border enforcement and deportations.

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In September, Trump issued a proclamation mandating new, $100,000 fee H-1B applies and prioritizes high-wage applicants, leading business groups to warn that the changes could make it harder for large employers to compete internationally for the best talent.

Florida public universities are seeking H-1B visas for about 600 employees in fiscal year 2025, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Supporters say the visas allow Florida to compete with universities around the world for the best academic talent.

Across the United States, universities apply for thousands of H-1B visas each year, mainly for high-tech fields such as laboratories, engineering projects, medical research centers and artificial intelligence.

As of 2023, more than half of U.S. postdoctoral researchers in health, engineering, and sciences hold H-1B or other temporary visas, according to the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics.