State university leaders in January will address Governor Ron DeSantis’ directive to end the use of H-1B visas for hiring foreign faculty, according to Ray Rodrigues, Chancellor of the State University System.

Rodrigues informed the Board of Governors on Thursday that discussions with university presidents are already underway. “We’ve heard the call to address it and we will continue to work with our universities and staff to answer the call,” Rodrigues said during a meeting at the University of South Florida.

Governor DeSantis raised the issue during an appearance at the school on October 29. His proposal comes on the heels of a restriction from former President Donald Trump’s administration that would require foreign-born individuals to pay a $100,000 fee for the H-1B visa—a cost expected to be covered by the hiring institution.

DeSantis has criticized the use of H-1B employees, stating that they are often used as “cheap labor” to reduce costs. “When you see in the news all these people being laid off by Amazon, UPS, all these companies, we need to make sure our citizens here in Florida are first in line for job opportunities,” the governor said last week.

“We can do it with our residents in Florida or with Americans, and if we can’t do it, then, man, we need to really look deeply about what is going on with this situation,” DeSantis added.

The Florida Board of Governors is scheduled to meet January 28-29 at Florida State University to further discuss the matter.
https://www.clickorlando.com/news/2025/11/07/florida-university-leaders-eye-h-1b-visas/