(TEXAS, USA) — Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered an immediate freeze on new H-1B visa petitions by Texas state agencies and public university systems on Tuesday, directing state leaders to halt filings unless they secure written permission from the Texas Workforce Commission through at least May 31, 2027.
“State government must lead by example and ensure that employment opportunities—particularly those funded with taxpayer dollars—are filled by Texans first. Evidence suggests that bad actors have exploited this program by failing to make good-faith efforts to recruit qualified U.S. workers before seeking to use foreign labor,”
Abbott said in a statement dated January 27, 2026.
Abbott’s directive also set a reporting deadline of March 27, 2026, requiring agencies and public higher-education institutions to disclose the number of H-1B holders they sponsor, along with job roles, countries of origin and visa expiration dates.
The order further requires documentation showing that “qualified Texas candidates” received a reasonable opportunity to apply before an agency or institution sought a foreign worker.
The directive, issued by Abbott’s office, was posted through the Texas Governor’s Office, one of several official channels that also include the USCIS Newsroom and the DHS Official Statements pages that carry related federal announcements on immigration enforcement and policy.
Texas’ action targets new filings by public employers in the state, but the H-1B program remains a federal immigration benefit. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, a Department of Homeland Security agency, adjudicates H-1B petitions under federal rules.
Even so, Abbott’s directive directly constrains a large part of Texas’ public workforce apparatus by blocking new petitions unless the Texas Workforce Commission grants written permission. The directive applies to state agencies and public higher-education systems, and it also covers major medical and research institutions including UT Southwestern and MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Dallas ISD, one of the nation’s largest H-1B sponsors among public schools, currently employs approximately 380 H-1B workers, according to the information released alongside Abbott’s directive.
The Texas A&M System received an instruction to provide a full “dragnet” of data on all H-1B employees by close of business on January 26, 2026, the same material said.
Abbott’s move comes as the Trump administration advances a broader crackdown on the H-1B program, including new fees and selection criteria that reshape how new filings proceed.
On the federal side, a September 19, 2025 Presidential Proclamation imposed a $100,000 “protection fee” for most new H-1B petitions for workers outside the U.S. as a condition of eligibility, the information said.
Under current federal rules effective Sept 21, 2025, new H-1B petitions for beneficiaries outside the U.S. must include a $100,000 payment to the Department of Homeland Security.
A final DHS rule effective February 27, 2026, replaces the random lottery with a weighted selection process that prioritizes higher-paid and higher-skilled applicants, the information said.
Federal officials have publicly framed the new posture as an enforcement push tied to fraud screening.
“USCIS is committed to rooting out fraud by thoroughly screening and vetting all aliens seeking immigration benefits. Anyone submitting fake evidence or misrepresenting themselves will be found out and face the consequences,”
Matthew Tragesser, a USCIS spokesperson, in a statement dated Jan 26, 2026.
“declaring war on fraud”
Joseph Edlow, identified in the information as the USCIS Director, made similar comments in a CBS News interview dated Jan 19, 2026, saying the agency is effectively “declaring war on fraud” regarding specialty visas, and suggesting that many previously approved cases may be re-examined.
Abbott’s directive does not change federal adjudication standards for H-1B visas, and Texas does not approve or deny petitions. Instead, the order restricts whether state agencies and public institutions will initiate or file new cases at all without Texas Workforce Commission permission.
The same directive also expands internal scrutiny of existing H-1B workers in the public sector by requiring a detailed statewide accounting. Agencies must assemble and submit information on roles, national origin and expiration dates, along with records tied to recruitment of Texans.
For state agencies and public universities that historically used H-1B visas to fill specialized positions, the directive forces a pause in new filings while the state reviews current sponsorship and recruiting steps.
The information accompanying the directive cast the Texas move as unprecedented at the state level. It described the step as marking the first time a major state has unilaterally frozen the use of a federal visa program for its own public workforce.
Higher education advocates criticized the freeze and pointed to the combined effect of Texas’ order and the federal fee requirement.
Miriam Feldblum, CEO of the Presidents’ Alliance, said the combination of the state freeze and the $100,000 federal fee “threatens U.S. universities’ competitiveness.”
The directive’s reporting mandate also places current public-sector H-1B workers under a new compliance spotlight, even as the freeze focuses on new filings.
The information said current H-1B holders in Texas face increased job insecurity, and it pointed to a broader enforcement tone in public messaging around the program.
Publicly available federal announcements and statements on immigration policy and enforcement have appeared through several official channels, including the State Department Visa Updates page, though the Texas action centers on state agency behavior rather than visa issuance.
Abbott’s directive requires written permission from the Texas Workforce Commission before any covered entity initiates or files a new H-1B petition during the freeze period. The information did not describe the criteria the commission will use to grant or deny permission.
The order’s timing collides with major federal procedural changes that affect how new H-1B cases are selected and priced, including the $100,000 payment requirement for many workers outside the country and the new weighted selection system that takes effect February 27, 2026.
Because the Texas freeze focuses on public institutions, its immediate effects concentrate in state agencies, public university systems and affiliated public employers that file H-1B petitions, rather than private companies that rely on the visa category.
Still, the directive includes prominent public institutions whose workforces include researchers, clinicians and educators. UT Southwestern and MD Anderson Cancer Center were specifically identified as being included in the freeze.
The scope also reaches public schools and higher education systems that use the program for certain roles. Dallas ISD’s count of approximately 380 H-1B workers underscores how widely some public employers have used the visa category, the information said.
Abbott’s office communicated the directive as a statewide instruction to agency heads and public university systems. The information described it as a formal directive.
The action plan, as described in the information, bars any covered entity from initiating or filing new H-1B petitions without written Texas Workforce Commission permission through at least May 31, 2027, and it adds the March 27, 2026 reporting deadline for current sponsorship details.
At the federal level, USCIS has emphasized fraud screening as part of its posture toward immigration benefits. Tragesser’s statement warned that “Anyone submitting fake evidence or misrepresenting themselves will be found out and face the consequences.”
Edlow’s comment that USCIS is “declaring war on fraud” signaled that the agency intends heightened scrutiny of specialty visa categories, the information said.
The combined state and federal moves set up a shifting compliance environment for public institutions that employ H-1B workers and for prospective hires who depend on employers to file new petitions.
“threatens U.S. universities’ competitiveness.”
Miriam Feldblum said the combination of the state freeze and the $100,000 federal fee “threatens U.S. universities’ competitiveness.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott Freezes New H-1B Visas at Public Agencies
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has frozen new H-1B visa filings for state agencies and public universities through May 2027. Aimed at prioritizing local workers, the order demands strict reporting of current visa holders and proof of recruitment efforts for Texans. This unprecedented state move aligns with federal crackdowns on the program, including significant new fees and a shift toward prioritizing high-salaried, high-skilled applicants.
