In a recent filing, the University of Oklahoma disclosed that it is sponsoring an H-1B worker employed as a sport video production manager—a position in a field for which OU itself offers a degree program.

In a statement, OU described the situation as routine and said the school uses a competitive process for hiring decisions.

Journalist Chris Brunet reported on the filing on Oct. 2, writing that the University of Oklahoma “has just filed a notice of intent to hire an H-1B Sport Video Production Manager. Salary: $55,931. No American citizen was qualified for this job.”

The post, which has nearly 700,000 views, included a screenshot of OU’s notice of filing.

The H-1B visa allows employers to hire non-citizen workers in “specialty occupations” that require “the application of a body of highly specialized knowledge and the attainment of at least a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent.”

The U.S. Department of Labor website states, “The intent of the H-1B provisions is to help employers who cannot otherwise obtain needed business skills and abilities from the U.S. workforce by authorizing the temporary employment of qualified individuals who are not otherwise authorized to work in the United States.”

Critics noted that OU has a degree program that prepares students for careers in video production. 

On X, one individual wrote that her sister graduated from OU “with a video production degree 5 yrs ago,” but is “currently a legal assistant” because she can’t find a full-time video production position in the Oklahoma City area.

On the university’s website, OU officials boast that the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication was ranked the number one media program in the nation in 2026 by the Broadcast Education Association, and that the school has 100 cameras available for “students to check out for location work.”

The journalism school specifically notes that the “creative media production” (CMP) degree program includes a video production track.

“Graduates from CMP have worked around the globe, covering wars in the Middle East, serving the president in media relations and working for some of the biggest names in television,” the university website states.

In a statement, OU officials defended the schools’ use of the H-1B program.

“This is not a job advertisement or a new recruitment process; it is a required administrative step in the federal H-1B compliance process for extending an existing employee,” the OU statement said. “Like many universities across the nation, the University of Oklahoma sponsors eligible employees through the federal H-1B visa program. These positions are filled through established competitive recruitment processes based on the qualifications and experience required for the role. OU complies with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations in its hiring and employment practices.”

The H-1B visa program has drawn criticism in recent years from those who argue that some employers use the program to displace U.S. workers or reduce labor costs. 

The Trump administration has taken steps to impose greater restrictions and scrutiny on the H-1B program. 

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website notes, “The H-1B visa program should help U.S. companies recruit highly skilled aliens when there is a shortage of qualified workers in the country. Yet, too many American workers who are as qualified, willing, and deserving to work in these fields have been ignored or unfairly disadvantaged. Employers who abuse the H-1B visa program may negatively affect U.S. workers, decreasing wages and opportunities as they import more foreign workers. 

“Protecting American workers by combating fraud in our employment-based immigration programs is a priority for USCIS,” the agency website continues.

In September, President Trump signed an executive order intended to address abuses of the H-1B visa program. An accompanying fact sheet stated, “The Trump Administration is cracking down on visa worker abuse and protecting American workers from being replaced with cheap foreign labor, including H-1B visa fraud investigations and investigations into other practices that illegally favor visa holders over Americans.”

Vice President J.D. Vance has also criticized aspects of the H-1B program 

In a recent interview, which his office clipped and posted to the vice president’s official X account, Vance stated, “If you’re going to bring in an accountant making $45,000 a year to replace an accountant who is an American making $60,000 a year, that’s not you using the program to bring in a genius. That’s you destroying American jobs and defrauding the American people ... my view is the H-1B program is completely broken.”

Some Oklahoma officials have sought to change state law to restrict the use of H-1B and OPT programs by state entities and state contractors.

In response to Brunet’s reporting on OU, state Sen. Dusty Deevers noted on X that he filed legislation this year “to prohibit all State entities from utilizing the H-1B and OPT programs,” and also filed a bill “to prohibit the state from giving contracts to corporations who replace their workers using H-1B and OPT.”

OPT refers to Optional Practical Training, a program that allows international students to work up to 12 months in their field of study in the United States post-graduation.

“ZERO taxpayer dollars should be spent to replace Oklahoma workers,” wrote Deevers, R-Elgin. “It is an insult to the very people we are here to represent. Oklahomans deserve a government that puts their interests first. H1B is an American worker-replacement program that rewards companies for replacing Americans. It is indefensible. Washington has sold out American workers with open border policies and endless visa programs. Congress ought to abolish H-1B entirely, but until then, Oklahoma must act to protect our people from this abusive program.”