Florida Board of Governors Rules to Pause New H-1B Visa Petitions

On Monday, March 2, the Florida Board of Governors ruled in favor of an H-1B hiring freeze across its institutions.

According to an amendment to state agency’s regulations, the pause applies to new hires and will remain in effect until January 5, 2027. Private academic institutions and state agencies outside of Florida’s University System are not affected.

This update follows an earlier H-1B hiring freeze in Texas that affected several public agencies.

Implications for current and future H-1B workers in Florida

Manifest immigration attorney Ana Gabriela Urizar says the Board of Governors only has the power to authorize hiring practices at public universities. “In other words, this doesn’t mean that USCIS has stopped processing H-1B petitions in Florida altogether,” she says. “While public colleges like University of Florida and Florida A&M are not authorized to onboard new foreign workers through this specific visa program, nothing has changed as far as how immigration law works.”

The Florida Board of Governors has not published any guidance on how current H-1B employees would be affected. In the meantime, Urizar recommends those affected to keep an eye on the news for future policy updates.