- Harris County Commissioners Court has hired a law firm to assist the County in immigration law matters related to importing foreign workers
- In 2022, Harris County adopted an Immigration Sponsorship Policy that recognized immigration sponsorship as an “important part” of its workforce development efforts
- Last month, Governor Abbott directed all state agencies and public universities to freeze H1-B visa petitions and to lead by example by prioritizing Texans for job opportunities
Harris County Commissioners Court has approved a proposal to hire an outside law firm to assist the County “in connection with immigration matters with respect to qualified employees for various departments of Harris County, consistent with Harris County’s adopted Immigration Sponsorship Policy.”
The proposal to hire the Quan Law Firm under a contract authorizing up to $50,000 in fees was approved by the Harris County Commissioners Court on January 29, 2026. The firm’s Senior Partner and co-founder, Gordon Quan, is a former Houston City Councilman and a longtime fixture in Harris County Democratic politics.
In 2022, Harris County adopted an “Immigration Sponsorship Policy” that set forth the guidelines under which County departments could seek to sponsor foreign workers.
“Harris County considers immigration sponsorship an important part of its efforts to recruit, hire, and retain a skilled work force with critical specialized skills and knowledge. Sponsorship will be considered on a case-by-case basis for highly specialized positions,” states the policy.
Under the Quan Law Firm’s contract with Harris County, the firm will charge $1,000 for an H-1B Lottery Registration, $3,000 for an H-1B visa petition for a new hire, and $5,000 for a Green Card application for a worker of “extraordinary ability”, among other fees.
Harris County’s decision to hire outside counsel to assist with the importation of foreign workers comes as Governor Greg Abbott has ordered state agencies to freeze H1-B visa petitions.
“The economy of Texas should work for the benefit of Texas workers and Texas employers,” reads the Governor’s January 27 directive. “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 as outlined in this letter. State government must lead by example and ensure that employment opportunities — particularly those funded with taxpayer dollars — are filled by Texans first.”
