Texas Gov. Greg Abbott wants to prohibit schools from using H-1B visas to hire international teachers as part of a broader campaign to “eliminate foreign influence” in education.
If approved by state lawmakers, such a ban would eliminate a staffing strategy districts throughout the Lone Star State use to fill hard-to-staff teaching roles in subjects like math and foreign languages. And because of Texas’ size and influence on national politics, the move could inspire similar discussions in other states.
The proposal comes amid broader pushes by state and federal lawmakers to set stricter limits on immigration and ratchet up scrutiny of public schools.
“Exactly zero Texas public school employees should be here on H-1B visas,” said Abbott, a Republican who is running for reelection, at an Aug. 18 campaign event. “The bottom line is this: foreign influence of any kind has no place in our classrooms.”
Texas schools employed 271 H-1B visa holders in 2025, more than any other state, according to an analysis by the National Education Association, the nation’s largest teachers’ union. The state’s public schools employ more than 320,000 teachers total.
Some Texas districts rely on international teachers more heavily than others. The Dallas district has 171 employees with H-1B visas, the most of any educational organization in the state, federal data show. The district employs about 10,000 teachers total.
“We only hire teachers from abroad to fill critical shortages identified by the Texas Education Agency, and each of these teachers is certified by the TEA as well,” the district said in a statement. “If the governor’s new expectation is to eliminate these teachers, then we’re going to need more Texans in the teaching pipeline.”
International teachers fill key staffing gaps for schools
Districts around the country—in both big cities and rural areas in states like Alaska and North Dakota—hire international teachers for key positions they are unable to fill with local candidates, superintendents say. They primarily use H-1B and J-1 visas, which been affected by immigration policy shifts under the current presidential administration.
H-1B visas allow highly skilled workers in specialty occupations to work in the United States for up to six years, with the possibility for renewal after that, and they also offer a path to permanent residency. In September 2025, President Donald Trump announced a plan to raise the fee from that visa from about $5,000 to $100,000, raising alarm from education and other professional groups. That plan has since been suspended by a federal judge.
In May 2025, the administration briefly halted applications for J-1 visas, the other visa used by international teachers, which have a less costly and complicated application process and do not provide a path to permanent residency. J-1 visas, which are also used by live-in au pairs, international summer camp counselors, and seasonal workers in tourist areas, allow international teachers to participate in a “cultural exchange” by teaching in U.S. schools for up to three years.
Alaska’s U.S. senators, both Republicans, have defended international teacher hiring to the Trump administration, arguing it helps districts staff classrooms with talented educators, the Alaska Beacon reported in March.
A broader push to limit “foreign influence”
Abbott’s proposed K-12 ban builds on actions he took in January to restrict state agencies and universities from hiring employees under H-1B visas.
At a news conference, he pointed to programs like the state’s teacher-incentive allotment, a program that gives high-performing teachers bonuses to work at participating high-need and rural districts, saying schools already have options to fill jobs locally and retain qualified staff. A recent report found that that program did slightly improve teacher retention in participating districts, but did not appear help the highest-needs schools.
Abbott also criticized districts for allowing the “quiet indoctrination of children in our classrooms” through partnerships with international organizations, like Confucius Classroom, a Mandarin-language program supported by the Chinese government that is a frequent target of conservative criticism.
State Rep. Gina Hinojosa, Abbott’s Democratic opponent in the governor’s race, criticized his proposed ban.
“Texas public schools are in crisis, and desperate districts have sought teachers from out of the country ...” she told the Texas Tribune. “Because Abbott is now in the closest race of his political career, Abbott is frantically looking for scapegoats to blame for his failed education policy. Meanwhile, he continues to hand out massive taxpayer incentives to global corporations belonging to his billionaire donors while they maximize H1B visa hires and make record profits.”
