Texas Governor Greg Abbott has ordered a freeze on new H-1B visa petitions in Texas public agencies and state universities until May 2027. The freeze applies to agencies including Texas Department of Transportation, Health and Human Services, Department of Public Safety, Texas Workforce Commission, and major university systems such as University of Texas and Texas A&M. This freeze does not affect Texas school districts, cities, counties, or local governments. India, one of the top recipients of H-1B visas, sees little impact as most Indian workers are in the IT sector, which is not under the freeze. No clear data exists on how many Indian H-1B holders work in Texas state departments or universities, but it is believed to be fewer than IT workers. US immigration lawyer Emily Neumann criticized the move, saying the freeze is "shooting ourselves in the foot." She pointed out universities will struggle to hire professors and researchers on H-1B visas, creating a shortage of skilled staff. There is no clear plan to fill these posts, which will impact Texas state universities and teaching hospitals. Indian-American Advocacy Council co-founder Sidharth welcomed the freeze. He said, "Expose the frauds who have built entire online careers lying about H-1Bs, misrepresenting the Texas labor market, and engagement-farming hysteria while contributing nothing of value. Let the reports come out. Let the numbers speak. Sunlight will burn down the foreign-funded, outrage-driven grift economy surrounding H-1Bs." Indian-origin doctor Krutika Kuppali warned that the freeze will hurt Texas healthcare. She said, "Freezing new H-1B visas in #Texas is short-sighted. We already face serious healthcare workforce shortages and struggle to meet patient demand. Public universities and health systems rely on H-1Bs to recruit physicians, nurses, scientists, and researchers. This will worsen staffing gaps, slow research, and harm patients—especially in underserved communities. This doesn’t protect Texans. It weakens Texas healthcare."