H1 Visa

The popular visa program, established in 1990, allows U.S. employers to hire foreign professionals with highly specialized knowledge and at least a bachelor’s degree. More than 500 foreigners were employed as of last year at Florida public and private universities under the program.

When the pause is in effect, officials will study the cost of the H-1B program. Critics say it could harm Florida's competitiveness against other state university systems.

State officials accuse higher education institutions of abusing the H-1B program. They also canceled or repurposed more than $40 million in grants for having some relation to DEI.

If the administration does what one official described, it would change H-1B visa rules to favor employers that pay higher wages. That could effectively transform the visa into what one expert called "a luxury work permit" and disadvantage early-career workers with smaller salaries, including teachers

A number of companies and universities are cutting IT jobs and shipping them off to India. The practice has drawn scrutiny amid the debate over how H1-B visas for high-skilled workers are used.