Governor DeSantis directs Florida universities to end H-1B visa hiring

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis bans H-1B visas at state universities, ordering institutions to hire Americans instead of foreign workers, citing visa abuse and prioritising local graduates for taxpayer-funded jobs. In a directive shaking up higher education, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Wednesday announced that state universities will no longer be allowed to hire foreign workers on H-1B visas, ordering institutions to prioritise American citizens and Florida residents for all university positions. Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, DeSantis said that Florida citizens should be the first in line for job opportunities in the state. “If there are things that the universities need that they somehow can't find in Florida, to me, of all employees, they are the ones that would be most responsible for why they can't find what they need. I mean, we are churning out a lot of people; this should not be that difficult,” DeSantis said.

BREAKING: In a bombshell moment, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ABOLISHES H-1B VISAS from being used at state universities

"We can do it with Florida RESIDENTS or AMERICANS! If we can't? Then man, we need to REALLY look deeply at what's going on with this situation!"

DeSantis… pic.twitter.com/u0ri9JM5SP

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 29, 2025

It is not clear whether a US state governor has the power to end the use of H1B visas in any organisation. Universities are exempt from federal H-1B caps, enabling year-round hiring of foreigners. H-1Bs are primarily associated with tech workers from India. Big tech companies are the biggest users of the visa, and nearly three-quarters of those approved are from India. But there are critical workers, like teachers and doctors, who fall outside that category.DeSantis said the decision followed H-1B audits that revealed state colleges had hired people from China and other countries for university roles — including as professors and policy speakers.