The short version
No, existing H-1B visas in North Texas have not been mass-revoked. What has changed is a stack of federal and state actions that make new H-1B hires harder and more expensive, add scrutiny to renewals, and target specific employers for investigation.
- In effect: a weighted H-1B lottery favoring higher-paid roles, an end to automatic work-permit extensions for H-1B spouses, a Texas freeze on new H-1B petitions at state agencies and public universities, and a federal pause on green-card sponsorship for eight large tech and IT firms.
- Blocked in court: the agency policies that collect the $100,000 fee on new H-1B workers hired from abroad. The administration has appealed.
- Proposed, not final: a separate $103,265 fee, higher required wages, ending the 60-day grace period after a layoff, and tougher review of extensions.
- Under investigation: nearly 30 North Texas companies, by the Texas Attorney General.
Current H-1B workers with valid status can keep working. The biggest pressure falls on future hiring, renewals, and people who lose their jobs.
Federal changes: what’s in effect, blocked, or proposed
The federal picture has shifted almost weekly since September 2025. Here is where each major action stands as of October 19, 2026, newest first.
| Action | Date | Status | Who it affects |
|---|---|---|---|
| End “prior deference” for extensions | Oct 13, 2026 | Proposed | H-1B workers renewing status, even with no job change |
| Green-card sponsorship pause for 8 firms (Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, TCS, Wipro, HCL, Capgemini) | Oct 8, 2026 | In effect | Employees of those firms seeking green cards |
| $100,000 fee extended to Sept 21, 2027 | Sept 19, 2026 | Implementing policies blocked in court; appeal filed Oct 9 | Employers hiring new H-1B workers from outside the U.S. |
| Executive order on layoffs and LCA review | Sept 18, 2026 | In effect | Employers with recent or planned layoffs |
| End 60-day grace period after job loss | Sept 11, 2026 | Proposed; comments due Nov 10 | H-1B workers who are laid off |
| $103,265 fee on cap-subject petitions | Aug 2026 | Proposed | New lottery-based H-1B petitions |
| Higher required wages (entry level from ~17th to 34th percentile) | Mar 2026 | Proposed | Employers of new and existing H-1B workers |
| Weighted lottery favoring higher pay | Feb 2026 | In effect for jobs starting Oct 2026 | New H-1B applicants |
| End automatic work-permit extensions for H-1B spouses | 2025–26 | In effect | H-4 spouses with work permits |
About the $100,000 fee. A federal judge struck down the fee in June 2026, and an appeals court declined to pause that ruling in July. On Sept 30, a second court in Global Nurse Force v. Trump set aside the agency policies that implement it. The administration appealed to the Ninth Circuit on Oct 9 and expects the issue to reach the Supreme Court. The fee never applied to current H-1B holders or renewals.
Early effect. A Congressional Research Service report dated Oct 14 found a 91% drop in initial petitions for workers abroad from cap-exempt employers during the fee’s first eight months.
Texas actions
Texas has added its own layer, though the H-1B program itself is run by the federal government.
| Action | Date | Status | Who it affects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gov. Abbott proposes zero H-1B employees in Texas schools | Aug 2026 | Proposal; would need the Legislature | Public school districts, including Dallas ISD, the top U.S. district for H-1B hires |
| AG Paxton issues investigative demands to nearly 30 North Texas firms | Apr 30, 2026 | Investigation ongoing; no findings announced | Named companies in Plano, Irving, Frisco, Lewisville and elsewhere |
| AG Paxton opens H-1B probe with 3 companies | Jan 2026 | Investigation ongoing | Companies suspected of “ghost office” sponsorships |
| Gov. Abbott freezes new H-1B petitions | Jan 27, 2026 | In effect until May 31, 2027 | State agencies and public universities only |
The Paxton investigation centers on allegations that some small firms listed homes or vacant spaces as offices to sponsor workers. An investigative demand is a request for records, not a charge. Dallas Morning News reporting notes that claims of widespread fraud had not previously been substantiated, and that city councils have no authority over the program.
What the “revoked” headlines get wrong
We found no federal or state action that revokes existing H-1B visas across North Texas. The “revoked” language usually traces back to one of three narrower things:
- Employer-level revocations. When an employer ends an H-1B worker’s job, federal rules require the employer to notify USCIS so the petition can be withdrawn. Individual cases, such as a disputed one involving a Frisco employer, get reported as “revocations.”
- Student visa revocations. The administration has revoked thousands of student visas, a separate program often blurred with H-1B in social posts.
- Freezes on new petitions. Texas’s freeze stops state agencies and universities from filing new H-1B petitions. It does not cancel visas already granted.
The practical risk for current workers is narrower but real: a layoff. If the proposed rule ending the 60-day grace period is finalized, a worker who loses a job would have far less time to find a new sponsor.
Why it matters for North Texas cities
Few regions are more exposed. The Dallas area received nearly 32,000 new H-1B approvals during 2021–2025, more than Silicon Valley, Seattle or Washington, D.C., according to a Bloomberg analysis of USCIS data. Only the New York metro ranked higher. Many of those workers settled in Frisco, Prosper, Celina, Plano and Irving.
The housing market is already moving:
- Prices. Collin County home prices fell nearly 9% year over year as of February 2026, about twice the 4% drop across DFW, per Redfin data.
- New construction. One North Texas builder told Bloomberg that South Asian buyers fell from about 70% of its sales at peak to under 30% this year.
- Financing. Since May 25, 2025, non-permanent residents, including H-1B holders, can no longer use FHA-insured mortgages.
Visa policy is one factor among several. Tech layoffs, return-to-office mandates and mortgage rates are also cooling demand in the northern suburbs, and the data can’t cleanly separate them.
What to watch by city: inventory and days on market in Frisco, Prosper and Celina; resale prices in new-build subdivisions; and rental vacancy near large tech employers in Plano, Irving and Richardson. Compare these cities on Realust.
What to watch next
Three dates are fixed; the rest depends on courts and rulemaking.
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| Nov 10, 2026 | Public comments close on ending the 60-day grace period |
| May 31, 2027 | Texas freeze on new state-agency and university H-1B petitions is set to end |
| Sept 21, 2027 | $100,000 fee proclamation is set to expire, unless extended again |
Also pending, with no fixed date: the Ninth Circuit appeal on the $100,000 fee, final versions of the $103,265 fee and wage rules, and any findings from the Texas Attorney General’s investigation. We’ll update this post as each one moves.
This article is for general information, not legal advice. Policies are changing quickly; we’ll update this page as they do.