Source: International Business Times
KEY DEVELOPMENTS:Florida Governor Ron DeSantis directed the state Board of Governors to end H-1B visa usage at public universities, affecting approximately 400 foreign workers currently employed in the state university systemThe directive came during a Wednesday press conference at the University of South Florida in Tampa, where DeSantis called the H-1B program a "scam" that allows institutions to hire "cheap foreign labor"The University of Florida currently employs 156 H-1B visa holders, the highest number in the state, followed by the University of Miami with 90 and the University of South Florida with 72NATIONAL CONTEXT:The move follows President Donald Trump's September announcement increasing individual H-1B visa fees from 215 dollars to 100,000 dollars, a measure expected to face legal challengesFlorida has approximately 7,250 H-1B approvals and renewals statewide in 2025, with roughly 677 beneficiaries working in the education sector across 78 employersThe initiative has created divisions within Trump's administration, with supporters like Elon Musk favoring the program while others align with DeSantis's restrictive stanceOPPOSITION AND CONCERNS:University faculty unions argue that H-1B visas are essential for filling specialized positions in STEM fields where qualified American candidates are scarceData shows approximately 60 percent of computer science Ph. D. graduates from U.
