“Ron DeSantis claims that Florida has stopped H-1B hiring at its public universities.” — Ron DeSantis. Our verdict: False.
Ron DeSantis made the claim on 25 October 2026, in remarks urging states to stop hiring foreign workers through the H-1B visa programme at universities, as reported by the Hindustan Times.
Our verdict
False
Ron DeSantis's claim that Florida has stopped H-1B hiring at its public universities is false. The University of Florida was still filing paperwork to hire an H-1B worker in October 2026, and no statewide ban appears in the records we checked.
What we found
We reached this verdict because the public record shows continued H-1B hiring at a Florida public university. The University of Florida filed a Labour Condition Application in October 2026 for a Clinical Assistant Professor who would need an H-1B visa, and the same university appeared as a top employer for H-1B prevailing-wage determinations in the third quarter of fiscal year 2026, according to the Department of Labor. Florida State University did bring in a moratorium on new hires needing immediate H-1B sponsorship, but that applies only to that one institution, not to the whole state university system. The Board of Governors minutes we reviewed contain no adoption of a statewide ban, and federal labour records make no mention of any Florida-specific restriction. Taken together, these records show that at least some public universities in Florida are still hiring H-1B workers, which contradicts the claim.
The evidence
2 contradict and 1 support the claim, of 4 sources.
- Background
Ron DeSantis publicly claimed that Florida has stopped H-1B hiring at its universities. [1]
- Supports the claim
Florida State University put a moratorium on hiring new employees who need immediate H-1B sponsorship, running through 5 January 2027. This applies to one university, not the whole state system. [2]
- Contradicts the claim
In October 2026, the University of Florida filed a Labour Condition Application to hire an H-1B worker for a Clinical Assistant Professor post starting January 2027, showing that H-1B hiring was still going ahead. [3]
- Contradicts the claim
The University of Florida was listed as a top employer for H-1B prevailing-wage determinations in the third quarter of fiscal year 2026, according to the Department of Labor. [4]
What we could not confirm
- We could not check the hiring policies of Florida public universities that were not covered by the records we reviewed.
- We could not confirm whether any informal or unpublished directives on H-1B hiring exist that are not reflected in official documents.
- The evidence covers the situation up to late 2026, so any policy changes after the latest documents are not captured.
How we checked
We looked at university human resources notices, University of Florida hiring paperwork, Department of Labor statistics on H-1B wage determinations, and Board of Governors records, alongside the original report of the claim. We reviewed 4 relevant sources.
Sources
- [1]www.hindustantimes.com · Florida governor Ron DeSantis urges states to stop hiring foreign workers through H-1B visa program at universities · October 25, 2026
- [2]hr.fsu.edu · H-1B Hiring Update | Office of Human Resources · March 31, 2026
- [3]calendar.hr.ufl.edu · Clinical Assistant Professor - HR Calendar - University of Florida · October 1, 2026
- [4]dol.gov · OFFICE OF FOREIGN LABOR CERTIFICATION · June 30, 2026
- [5]Photo: United States Congress / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Have evidence we missed?
If you know of a source that confirms or contradicts this claim, send us the link. We review every submission and update fact checks when new evidence changes the picture.
Measured Take updates fact checks when new evidence emerges. Corrections are noted on the page.
All fact checks