The Florida Board of Governors has voted to put a 10-month hiring freeze in place for people seeking H-1B visas at all of the state’s public universities. The decision was made on Monday and takes effect immediately. It will remain in place at least through January 5, 2027, according to Central Florida Public Media.
The pause only affects new hires. Ray Rodrigues, chancellor of the State University System of Florida, confirmed that current H-1B employees will still be able to renew their visas during the yearlong freeze.
He also added that renewals will not be subject to the $100,000 fee that President Donald Trump imposed on all H-1B visas on Sept. 21, 2025.
The decision was made by the Florida Board of Governors during its meeting. Two members voted against the move, including Kimberly Dunn, the board’s faculty representative, and Carson Dale, its student representative. Two members of the public also spoke out against the pause.
In October, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis urged public colleges and universities in the state to stop hiring workers on H-1B visas. He argued that such hires were taking jobs away from Americans. Around the same time, Donald Landry, interim president of the University of Florida, said he would support a review of how the program is used at UF.
H-1B pause in Florida: 12 public universities face hiring freeze
All 12 of Florida’s public universities will be affected, though not all rely on H-1B workers in the same way. For example, the University of Central Florida employs fewer than 50 people on H-1B visas.
Across the state, public universities employ more than 1,000 faculty and staff members on these visas. The majority work at the University of Florida.
H-1B visas allow employers in the United States to hire foreign workers for specialised or technical jobs. These roles usually require at least a bachelor’s degree or advanced training. The visa is granted for three years at a time, and it can be extended for up to six years.
Workers are selected through a lottery system and must be sponsored by an employer. The freeze comes just days before the H-1B lottery is expected to open, which could happen on March 4.
Impact on hospitals and patient care
The freeze also applies to UF Health. UF Health Central Florida runs major hospital campuses, emergency rooms and speciality practices in Lake, Sumter and Marion counties. It serves communities, including The Villages and Leesburg, along with nearby areas.
Supporters of the visa program say these hospitals rely on H-1B doctors to fill hard-to-find roles, especially in certain medical specialities.
Board of Governors Chair Alan Levine said universities should inform him if the hiring freeze begins to affect Floridians’ access to life-saving medical care. He noted that changes to the policy could be considered if needed.
Opposition from board members
The measure was originally placed on the board’s consent agenda, which groups items considered non-controversial into a single vote. But Dunn and Dale asked for it to be pulled out for a separate discussion, so members could debate it.
“I recognise that this is a pause and not a ban, but I do think that this creates a serious reputational impact for our universities,” said Dale, who also serves as Florida State University’s student body president and is the only student voting member on the board. Dunn, the faculty senate chair at Florida Atlantic University and the board’s only voting faculty member, agreed.
“I’m still concerned about the lasting effect on our reputation and on our ability to recruit the best faculty in the world,” Dunn said.
Connor O’Brien, a fellow at the Institute for Progress, said he understood concerns that H-1B visas could be misused in university hiring. But he warned that the pause would “go much further” and make it harder to attract global talent. He raised specific concerns about how the decision could affect UF Health, where many physicians and surgeons are sponsored through H-1B visas. The Institute for Progress reviewed first-time H-1B petitions filed by Florida universities between 2017 and 2022. “Among the 1,300 approved petitions, at least 315 were for physicians, Ph.D. scientists or STEM faculty,” O’Brien said.
Another bill under consideration
At the same time, Florida lawmakers are looking at another proposal that could reshape higher education in the state.
House Bill 1279 would require public universities to keep at least 95% of their students as Florida residents. Only 5% of enrollment would be allowed to come from out-of-state or international students. The bill is heading to a full vote in the Florida House.