Texas Gov. Wants to Ban H-1B Visa Holders From Schools
On Tuesday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said he plans to call for a ban on school districts employing anyone with an H-1B Visa.
What is an H-1B Visa?
An H-1B Visa is a temporary employer-sponsored U.S. nonimmigrant visa that allows companies in the United States to hire foreign professionals. Specializing in fields of technology, engineering, science, and medicine who require at least a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent. Abbott said, “Exactly zero Texas public school employees should be here on H-1B visas.”
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This call comes after Abbott ordered a freeze on new H-1B petitions by state agencies, public colleges and universities, citing concerns about abuse of the federal program and needing to prioritize jobs for Texas workers. Abbott also says, “Bottom line is this foreign influence of any kind has no place in our classrooms.”
If this ban gets introduced and passed during the upcoming session, Texas would become the first state to block school districts from hiring H-B1 visa holders. This could result in hundreds of Texas teachers and other staff losing their jobs. School districts along wth chater schools employ more than 300 people on H-1B.
Based on the latest data from the U.S Citizenship and immigration service, Dallas ISD leads with 171 employees.
In january greg abbott ordered the immediate freeze on new H-1B visa petitions by state agencies and public institutions of higher education, citing concerns about abuse of the federal visa program and the need to prioritize jobs for Texas workers.
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The freeze is expected to remain intact through the end of the Texas Legislature’s 90th regular session on May 31, 2027, unless written permission is granted by the Texas Workforce Commission.
In june a federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s $100,000 fee requirement for employers seeking H-1B visas for highly skilled workers, saying that the administration overstepped and tried imposing a tax that only Congress can authorize or delegate.
According to Fox News, the H-1B program provides 65,000 annual visas with an additional 20,000 reserved for workers with an advanced degree, and employers traditionally have paid between $960 and $7,595 in fees.
Texas Gov. Wants to Ban H-1B Visa Holders From Schools was originally published on thebeatdfw.com
