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Governor Ron DeSantis directs Florida universities not to use H1B visas
Addressing a press conference, Ron DeSantis said that Florida citizens should be the first in line for job opportunities in the state.
Governor Ron DeSantis directed Florida's state university system on Wednesday not to use H1B visas, saying it was a “poor reflection” on the universities themselves.
Addressing a press conference, 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.
“I am directing today the Florida board of governors to pull the plug on the use of these H1B visas in our universities. We can do it with our residents in Florida or with Americans. And if we can't do it, then man, we really need to look deeply about what is going on with this situation,” he added.
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.
US tightens visa renewal rules
The US Department of Homeland Security has eliminated automatic extensions of employment authorisation documents, a move that will force foreign workers — especially Indians who make up a large portion of the expat workforce- to stop working if their renewals are not approved before their current permits expire.
The interim final rule, published on Wednesday and coming into effect from Thursday, ends a practice that allowed workers to continue their jobs for up to 540 days while renewal applications were pending. Starting Thursday, anyone filing to renew their work permit will lose authorisation the day after their current document expires if the government has not yet approved the renewal.
The change is expected to significantly affect Indian professionals, including H-1B workers waiting years or decades for green cards, their H-4 spouses who depend on work permits, students on STEM work extensions, and other employment-based green card applicants who must repeatedly renew authorisations while in the visa backlog.
