Abbott Proposes Texas Public School H-1B Visa Ban in Austin

Proposal would affect current visa holders as well as future applicants

AUSTIN, Texas — Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday that he will seek legislation barring Texas public schools from sponsoring H-1B visas for foreign workers, a proposal that could disrupt staffing at districts that rely on the federal program to fill specialized teaching positions.

Abbott announced the plan during a campaign stop in Austin, framing it as part of a broader effort to limit foreign influence in Texas education. The governor said he wants lawmakers to ensure there are “exactly zero” public-school employees in Texas using H-1B visas.

The proposed Texas public school H-1B visa ban would need approval from the Texas Legislature, which is scheduled to convene next year, before it could become law. Abbott said the measure should apply both to workers who already hold H-1B visas and to future applicants seeking the visas for specialized jobs.

Dallas ISD has the largest number of visa holders

Public universities and affiliated health institutions generally employ most H-1B visa holders working in Texas education. But several K-12 school systems also use the program, particularly to recruit educators for hard-to-fill roles including bilingual education.

Dallas Independent School District employs 171 people through the H-1B program, more than any other Texas school district or public university, according to federal data cited in the report. Officials with Dallas ISD, the state’s second-largest district, did not immediately respond to a request for comment after Abbott’s late-afternoon announcement.

The governor’s proposal could carry significant consequences for districts confronting persistent educator shortages. Texas employs more educators with H-1B visas than any other state, according to a 2025 analysis by the National Education Association. School systems have used the visa category to bring in workers with specialized credentials when local recruitment has not produced enough qualified applicants.

Plan expands Abbott’s scrutiny of visa use in education

Abbott had already begun reviewing the use of H-1B workers in public education. In January, he said his administration was examining whether taxpayer funds were being used to pay H-1B visa holders at public schools and universities. He later directed state agencies and public universities to freeze new H-1B visa petitions, though that order did not cover K-12 districts.

His newest proposal would extend restrictions directly to public schools and would also prohibit those schools from accepting gifts or entering financial agreements with foreign sources. Abbott said the financial restrictions would resemble measures already imposed on Texas universities.

H-1B visas are federal visas for workers in specialized occupations, and applications are reviewed and approved by federal authorities. Abbott criticized what he described as inadequate federal limits on the program, saying Texas was being forced to act because of federal inaction.

“We’re tired of the federal government not putting limits on who can come in under H-1Bs,” Abbott said. “Because of the federal government’s failure to control H-1B visas, Texas is having to put our foot down, and that means making some tough decisions.”

The proposal arrives as the Trump administration has also targeted the H-1B program, arguing that some employers misuse it to replace U.S. workers with lower-paid or lower-skilled labor. Abbott’s school-focused plan has not yet been filed or enacted, and its future will depend on action by Texas lawmakers when they return to the Capitol.