Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has instructed his board of governors to address the hiring of workers on H-1B visas in state universities.
During a press conference at the University of South Florida in Tampa, he described the H-1B program as a “scam” that is being misused by these institutions. DeSantis emphasized the need for prioritizing job opportunities for Floridians. He remarked, “If there’s something that a university needs that can’t be found in Florida, they, of all employers, are responsible for that.”
He continued, stating, “We have a lot of talent, and it’s not that hard to do.”
This directive specifically concerns 12 universities within the Florida state university system, including USF, the University of Florida, Florida State University, the University of Central Florida, and Florida International University.
A spokesperson for the university system has been contacted for further comments.
The H-1B visa program, as outlined by the government, allows employers to hire foreign workers in certain fields, particularly by technology companies looking for skills that are hard to find among legal permanent residents in the U.S.
In a related development, last month, President Trump mandated that companies must pay a $100,000 fee to apply for an H-1B visa, which is a significant increase from the previous lottery and application fees.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick commented that this move is intended to encourage companies to prefer American workers over foreign hires, stating, “Please don’t bring in people to take our jobs. That’s our policy.”
Shortly thereafter, the Department of Homeland Security suggested making changes to the H-1B visa lottery system, aiming to favor higher-skilled and higher-paid foreign workers.
According to the Pew Research Center, around 400,000 H-1B visa applications were authorized last year, with 65 percent of those being renewals of earlier visas. The Trump administration clarified that the new fee would be a one-time charge.
