Florida Board Approves Ban on H-1B Visas

The Florida Board of Governors on Monday approved an eight-month pause on H-1B visas, becoming the second state after Texas to ban public colleges and universities from hiring new faculty, researchers and medical residents through that visa program.

Earlier this year, Florida governor Ron DeSantis asked the board to ban the use of H-1Bs in order to “make sure our citizens here in Florida are first in line for job opportunities” and to limit professors coming from China and elsewhere. During the pause, the chancellor’s office will study the use and costs of H-1Bs at public institutions. 

“The governor’s office agrees that rather than a permanent stoppage, it’s appropriate to study this issue—to put a pause on it. For now, we’re talking about eight months, nine months, while we collect some data,” Chairman Alan Levine said during the board’s meeting Monday. “I think we need to move as quickly as possible to collect the information, and when we learn what we need to learn, then we can make some informed decisions about what the policy needs to be on a go-forward basis.” 

H-1B visa holders that are already on campus are not subject to the pause, and their visas may be renewed if they expire during the pause. 

Kimberly Dunn, an associate professor of accounting at Florida Atlantic University and faculty representative to the board, spoke against the motion on Monday. She and student representative Carson Dale voted against the motion. 

“A one-year pause, even if it goes away after one year, will have lasting effects” on reputation and recruiting, Dunn said during the meeting.