The University of Notre Dame has filed paperwork indicating it cannot find qualified American citizens to fill several open positions, including an assistant professor of English and an associate librarian, prompting the institution to look abroad through the H-1B foreign worker visa program.
Public records from the Catholic university in South Bend, Indiana, show a recently filed “Notice of Intent to Hire” under the federal visa framework. The open assistant professor of English position offers a starting salary of just over $87,000 plus benefits. According to filing details first reported by The College Fix, this humanities role pays higher than a chemistry professor position that the university is also seeking to fill using international labor.
Beyond teaching roles, Notre Dame’s listings reveal a broader reliance on the H-1B program across various campus departments. The university has designated an associate librarian position at $96,000 per year, a marketing program analytics manager role at $85,000 per year, and a “program coordinator for student success” position at $47,000 per year for foreign recruitment, the Fix reported.
Notre Dame is not alone in this practice within the state. Other Indiana universities have previously utilized the H-1B program to fill non-academic and staff roles, including IT positions and an assistant tennis coach.
The reliance on foreign visa labor by higher education institutions continues to draw heavy scrutiny from labor advocates and immigration experts who argue the practice disadvantages domestic applicants. Kevin Lynn, founder of U.S. Tech Workers, has been a vocal critic of the university hiring trends.
“Competition from foreign workers willing to accept lower salaries can suppress starting and mid-level pay for domestic graduates,” Lynn told The College Fix last December, adding that “hiring foreign workers is often easier, cheaper, and more predictable” for large institutions.
While Indiana universities continue to utilize the program, other states have taken direct legislative action to curb the practice. In January, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued an executive directive freezing all state government entities from petitioning for new H-1B visas.
“The economy of Texas should work for the benefit of Texas workers and Texas employers,” Abbott wrote in an official letter detailing the ban. “In light of recent reports of abuse in the federal H-1B visa program, and amid the federal government’s ongoing review of that program to ensure American jobs are going to American workers, I am directing all state agencies to immediately freeze new H-1B visa petitions… State government must lead by example and ensure that employment opportunities — particularly those funded with taxpayer dollars — are filled by Texans first.”
The Texas hiring freeze is scheduled to remain in effect through May 31, 2027, though state employers are permitted to petition the Texas Workforce Commission for specific exceptions.
READ: $275 Million Tax Tug-Of-War: Florida Watchdog Takes Aim At Jacksonville’s Budgets
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