# H-1B Visa Changes 2026: What’s Actually Happening in North Texas

> Source: Realust (realust.com) · https://realust.com/h-1b-changes-north-texas-2026/ · Published October 19, 2026 · Updated October 19, 2026

Existing H-1B visas in North Texas haven't been mass-revoked. Here's what changed in 2026, what courts blocked, and what it means for DFW suburbs.

## 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](https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/deference-to-prior-h-1b-worker-approvals-nixed-in-dhs-proposal) | Oct 13, 2026 | Proposed | H-1B workers renewing status, even with no job change |
| [Green-card sponsorship pause for 8 firms](https://time.com/article/2026/10/09/us-immigration-visa-fraud-green-card-h1b-j1-microsoft-adobe/) (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](https://www.klaskolaw.com/october-2026/) | 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](https://www.klaskolaw.com/october-2026/) | Sept 18, 2026 | In effect | Employers with recent or planned layoffs |
| [End 60-day grace period after job loss](https://www.klaskolaw.com/october-2026/) | Sept 11, 2026 | Proposed; comments due Nov 10 | H-1B workers who are laid off |
| [$103,265 fee on cap-subject petitions](https://time.com/article/2026/10/09/us-immigration-visa-fraud-green-card-h1b-j1-microsoft-adobe/) | Aug 2026 | Proposed | New lottery-based H-1B petitions |
| [Higher required wages](https://www.ap7am.com/en/137842/us-report-flags-sweeping-h-1b-restrictions) (entry level from ~17th to 34th percentile) | Mar 2026 | Proposed | Employers of new and existing H-1B workers |
| [Weighted lottery favoring higher pay](https://www.ap7am.com/en/137842/us-report-flags-sweeping-h-1b-restrictions) | Feb 2026 | In effect for jobs starting Oct 2026 | New H-1B applicants |
| [End automatic work-permit extensions for H-1B spouses](https://www.ap7am.com/en/137842/us-report-flags-sweeping-h-1b-restrictions) | 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](https://time.com/article/2026/10/09/us-immigration-visa-fraud-green-card-h1b-j1-microsoft-adobe/), 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](https://www.aaup.org/news/judge-blocks-implementation-trump-administrations-100000-h-1b-fee). The administration [appealed to the Ninth Circuit on Oct 9](https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/trump-appeals-court-loss-that-blocked-100-000-h-1b-fee-policies) 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](https://www.ap7am.com/en/137842/us-report-flags-sweeping-h-1b-restrictions) 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](https://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/article/greg-abbott-h1b-visa-ban-dallas-isd-teachers-22394720.php) | 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](https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-takes-legal-action-part-investigation-nearly-30-north-texas-businesses) | 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](https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-announces-sweeping-investigation-h-1b-visa-abuse-starting-three-north) | Jan 2026 | Investigation ongoing | Companies suspected of “ghost office” sponsorships |
| [Gov. Abbott freezes new H-1B petitions](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/texas-gov-greg-abbott-halts-h-1b-visas-through-2027-after-egregious-schemes-allegedly-displaced-workers) | 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](https://www.dallasnews.com/news/immigration/article/paxton-investigates-h1b-visa-fraud-22234645.php) 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:

1. **Employer-level revocations.** When an employer ends an H-1B worker’s job, federal rules [require the employer to notify USCIS](https://webapps.dol.gov/elaws/h1b/rn2.aspx) so the petition can be withdrawn. Individual cases, such as a [disputed one involving a Frisco employer](https://texasscorecard.com/state/h-1b-employer-accused-of-not-paying-employees/), get reported as “revocations.”
2. **Student visa revocations.** The administration [has revoked thousands of student visas](https://time.com/article/2026/08/10/trump-state-department-visa-revocations/), a separate program often blurred with H-1B in social posts.
3. **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](https://finance.yahoo.com/economy/policy/articles/president-trump-crackdown-h1b-visa-160937711.html) 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](https://finance.yahoo.com/economy/policy/articles/president-trump-crackdown-h1b-visa-160937711.html).
- **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](https://finance.yahoo.com/economy/policy/articles/president-trump-crackdown-h1b-visa-160937711.html).

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](https://realust.com/cities/).

## 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.*

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