Texas Governor halts new H-1B visa petitions at state agencies, universities until next year

Are there any exceptions?

Texas governor Greg Abbott’s order allows exceptions if permission is granted from the Texas Workforce Commission.

Why the pause?

According to Abbott said the freeze will give lawmakers time to “establish statutory guardrails for future employment practices regarding federal visa holders in state government” and for Congress to “modify federal law” and for the Trump Administration to “implement reforms aimed at eliminating abuse of this visa program.”

Abbott said he is also reviewing the programme’s use and  is ordering agencies and universities to provide the details on the number of new or renewed H-1B visa petitions they filed last year, the number of visa holders currently sponsored, job titles, countries of origin and visa expiration dates. He has also asked for evidence that proves the employers’ efforts to give “qualified Texans candidates with reasonable opportunity to apply” for positions filled by H-1B visa holders.

Which companies are the top recipients of H-1B visas?

There are a wide range of employers who can apply for HB-1 visas — including hospitals, bands and universities. However, according to the Pew Research Center, at least 60 per cent of the visas approved since 2012 have been for computer-based jobs. Last year, Amazon was by far the top recipient, with more than 10,000 visas approved. It was followed by Mumbai-based informational technology company Tata Consultancy Services, Microsoft, Apple and Google.

In Texas, Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation has the most H-1B visas in the state with 3,172.