Florida Universities Ban H-1B Visa Hiring To Prioritise American Graduates

In a move aimed at cracking down on H-1B visa abuse in higher education, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has ordered institutions in the state to hire Americans to fill university jobs and end the practice of importing foreign workers on work visas.

"Universities across the country are importing foreign workers on H-1B visas instead of hiring Americans who are qualified and available to do the job," DeSantis said on Wednesday.

"We will not tolerate H-1B abuse in Florida institutions. That's why I have directed the Florida Board of Governors to end this practice," he said.

He said that Florida leads the nation in higher education and thousands of highly-qualified Americans graduate from its colleges and universities every year.

"If any universities are truly struggling to find US citizens to fill their job openings, they ought to evaluate their academic programmes to determine why they cannot produce graduates who can be hired for these positions," he said.

Universities across the country are importing foreign workers on H-1B visas instead of hiring Americans who are qualified and available to do the job. We will not tolerate H-1B abuse in Florida institutions. That's why I have directed the Florida Board of Governors to end this… pic.twitter.com/dw3n8Ho5BK

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) October 29, 2025

DeSantis has directed the Florida Board of Governors to crack down on H-1B Visa abuse in higher education and also announced that Florida Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has partnered with Federal DOGE, the State University System, and institutional partners to cancel or repurpose millions of dollars in DEI-related grants.

A statement issued by the Governor's Office said that Florida is requiring institutions to put American graduates first and ensure taxpayer-funded schools serve the American workforce, not to be used to import cheap foreign labour.

"H-1B visas are allegedly intended to hire individuals for a specialty occupation, but many universities and institutions have hired foreign workers for jobs that could easily be filled by qualified Americans. Universities are exempt from federal H-1B caps, enabling year-round hiring of foreign labour," it said.

DeSantis listed various university job positions that have been filled by foreign H-1B workers, such as computer application coordinators, assistant professors and public policy professors from China and assistant swim coach from Spain.

"Why do we need to bring someone from China to talk about public policy... Especially when you see in the news all these people being laid off by Amazon, UPS, all these companies, we need to make sure our citizens here in Florida are first in line for job opportunities," he said.

The statement further added that by working with Federal DOGE, the State University System, and individual institutions, Florida has also repurposed or cancelled DEI-related grants that were made with total intended amounts of more than USD 33 million. 

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