Visa denial rates for highly skilled workers were already hurting Texas businesses before Trump administration ordered new limits
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Temporary visas for highly skilled noncitizen workers are key to Texas businesses, but they could be in short supply soon.
The federal government issues 85,000 of those visas — known as H-1Bs — annually to businesses nationwide via a random lottery, which includes 20,000 for those with advanced degrees from U.S. universities. The process was already under intense scrutiny before President Donald Trump ordered a limit on foreign workers .
Denial rates increased from 13% in 2017 to 33% through the second quarter of 2019, according to the National Foundation for American Policy .
Some Texas small-business owners say losing out on the chance to hire skilled foreign workers hurts their businesses — and that's bad for the state's economy . But President Donald Trump has said his immigration policies are designed to put American workers first and only give visas to foreign workers with extraordinary skills.
2025 Texas Tribune
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