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By Hollie Silverman
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Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered state agencies and public universities to halt filing new H-1B visa petitions, his office said in a press release Tuesday.
Any agency seeking an exception must request written permission from the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) through the end of the next legislative session on May 31, 2027, according to the directive issued Tuesday.
Abbott directed agencies and institutions of higher education to report on their current and recent use of H-1B visas and to document efforts to recruit qualified Texans for affected positions, escalating state scrutiny of foreign-worker hiring at taxpayer-funded institutions.
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Why It Matters
The freeze affects new H-1B petitions at state agencies and public universities in one of the nation’s largest H-1B states, as Abbott aligned state policy with President Donald Trump’s push to tighten the skilled-worker visa program, including a new $100,000 fee for certain petitions imposed in September.
Universities and academic medical centers have relied on H-1B visas to hire professors, researchers, physicians and technical staff, and higher education leaders warned that restricting access could weaken the state’s research and innovation pipeline, the Texas Tribune reported.
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What To Know
Abbott’s directive instructed all state agencies and public institutions of higher education to immediately stop initiating or filing new H-1B petitions without written approval from the TWC and to maintain the pause through May 31, 2027.
The governor framed the pause as an opportunity for state lawmakers to consider potential “guardrails” and for federal policy changes under Trump to take hold, citing “recent reports of abuse” of the H-1B program.
Agencies and universities have been ordered to submit detailed reports to the TWC on their H-1B use, including the number of petitions filed in 2025, current H-1B sponsorship counts, job titles and classifications, countries of origin, visa expiration dates and documentation showing qualified Texans had a reasonable opportunity to apply for those positions, according to the letter written by Abbott.
The reports are due by March 2026, according to the order.
The freeze covers only new H-1B petitions by state agencies and public universities and does not affect current visa holders. Public K-12 schools were not covered by the order, the Houston Chronicle reported.
Among major public institutions employing H-1B workers, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Texas A&M University, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center and the University of Texas at Austin were identified as significant sponsors, according to federal data cited by local outlets.
The action followed federal moves under Trump, including a $100,000 fee on certain new H-1B petitions announced in September and plans to adjust the lottery to weight higher-paid, higher-skilled roles.
Florida leaders pursued similar restrictions in their public university system, with a Board of Governors committee set to consider a pause through early 2027, paralleling Texas’ timeline, the Texas Tribune reported.
The Texas A&M University System said it had already discontinued sponsoring new H-1B petitions that would incur the $100,000 federal fee and that it would fully comply with Abbott’s directive, according to the report.
University of Houston officials said they would comply and estimated employing fewer than 100 H-1B holders annually across STEM, IT, research and postdoctoral roles, according to the Houston Chronicle.
What People Are Saying
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, in a letter on Tuesday: "These steps will provide time for the Texas Legislature to establish statutory guardrails for future employment practices regarding federal visa holders in state government, for the U.S. Congress to modify federal law, and for the Trump Administration to implement reforms aimed at eliminating abuse of this visa program."
Chris Bryan, vice chancellor for marketing and communications at the Texas A&M University System, told the Texas Tribune on Tuesday: “We have received Governor Abbott’s 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."
Miriam Feldblum, co-founder and CEO of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, told the Texas Tribune on Tuesday: “What has made U.S. higher education the best in the world is that we have been able to attract the best people for these positions.”
What Happens Next
The TWC was directed to issue guidance and manage exemption requests during the freeze, though it remained unclear how many pending applications would be affected or what criteria might be used for approvals.
The reporting requirements and pause were set to remain in effect until the Texas Legislature adjourned its next regular session on May 31, 2027, when lawmakers could consider statutory changes related to H-1B usage by public institutions.
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