Quick Takes: Texas Pauses Use of H-1B Visas at State Universities

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2026/01/28/texas-pauses-use-h-1b-visas-state-universities

Why it’s worth a look: This is a growing issue, both for parents and students who hail from outside the United States.  At the college level, this topic affects employees at colleges and universities and even more so affects families hoping to send a child to a U.S. college or university.  There are certain states that consistently move to the front of their respective political sleds – California tends to do so for ‘blue’ states and Texas tends to do so for ‘red’ ones.  More times than not, other states on that ‘sled’ will follow suit, and in this case, the decision Texas has just made will shift the targets of many families in terms of schools they can (and no longer can) target as viable college destinations.  At the micro level, it also means those schools will lose out on talent they can no longer hire, possibly dampening the system’s ability to teach and perform research at the highest levels.