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H-1B visa row drastically impacts California schools, ‘it’s a form of discrimination to…’
California faces a worsening teacher shortage as the Trump administration raises fees for H-1B visas, prompting legal challenges.
The Trump administration's move to significantly raise the expenses associated with employing foreign workers is rekindling discussions in California, as school districts caution that this action could exacerbate an already critical shortage of teachers. The initiative, which seeks to impose a $100,000 fee on specific H-1B visa hires, has alarmed education officials who depend on international talent to fill challenging teaching positions.
Nevertheless, supporters of the MAGA movement argue that the H-1B program has strayed from its initial intent. They assert that it is increasingly utilized to fill routine teaching roles, undermining American educators and favoring foreign hires over local workers.
In addition to the existing application fees, which vary from roughly $9,500 to $18,800, firms in the US seeking new H-1B visas must also contribute a sizable sponsorship fee of $100,000 since September. However, school districts in California have been relying more on H-1B hiring to preserve staffing levels in classrooms due to persistent shortages.
Besides North Carolina and Texas, California, as per National Education Association analysis of federal data, hires more teachers on H-1B visas than any US state.
H-1B Visa row: How many foreign teachers are employed in California?
According to the California Department of Education, school districts in the state obtained 294 H-1B visas during the previous academic year, a considerable increase from the 193 granted in 2018–19. There is a three-year extension option for these visas, which are normally good for three years.
The Los Angeles Times reported that more than 300 H-1B applications were submitted for the 2023–2024 school year, double the number submitted two years earlier, as per data from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.
There were at least 45,852 teaching positions available nationwide by June 2025, according to a Learning Policy Institute research. This number may seem insignificant when compared to the approximately 3.5 million teachers in the country, as per the National Center for Education Statistics for the 2020–21 school year, but it hides the full scope of the greater teacher shortage issue.
What are teachers concerned about?
Teachers impacted by the visa regulations have expressed their dissatisfaction. A physical education instructor holding a J-1 visa informed the Los Angeles Times that “Everybody says here that they need teachers in California but they don’t want to do anything to [help us stay] here.” An elementary school teacher on an H-1B visa remarked, “I feel like it’s a form of discrimination to impose a $100,000 fee for teachers.”
Has California taken any step in response to the crisis?
The government of California has initiated legal proceedings against US President Donald Trump concerning the limitations imposed on H-1B visas. According to the California Teachers Association, this year alone, more than 32,000 classrooms in California were managed by teachers who were not qualified for their positions, while 10,000 teaching roles remained vacant, highlighting the significant adverse effects these restrictions are having on the state's educational framework.
Additionally, eighteen other states have joined in filing a lawsuit with a US District Court, naming several federal agencies as defendants, which include the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Labor, the Department of State, and the Department of Justice.
