In a sweeping new directive that could reshape higher education hiring, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has banned the use of H-1B visas across all state universities, ordering institutions to hire American citizens and Florida residents instead of foreign workers.
“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.”
DeSantis said the decision followed state audits revealing that several Florida colleges had hired staff from China and other countries for positions ranging from professors to policy speakers. “Why do we need to bring someone from China to talk about public policy?!” he asked. “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.”
The governor framed the ban as part of a broader push to prioritise local graduates for taxpayer-funded roles, arguing that Florida’s universities already produce thousands of skilled candidates. “If any universities are truly struggling to find U.S. 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.
A statement from the Governor’s Office confirmed that the Florida Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) will work with federal authorities and the State University System to ensure compliance. The plan also includes scrapping or redirecting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) grants that were “diverting funds away from core education priorities.”
According to the statement, universities are typically exempt from federal H-1B visa caps, allowing them to recruit foreign workers year-round. “H-1B visas are allegedly intended to hire individuals for a speciality occupation, but many universities and institutions have hired foreign workers for jobs that could easily be filled by qualified Americans,” it said.
DeSantis listed examples such as computer application coordinators, assistant professors, and even an assistant swim coach from Spain as evidence of misuse. “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.
Florida’s governor concluded that taxpayer-funded universities must “serve the American workforce, not be used to import cheap foreign labour.”