Higher ed leaders warn that removing H1-B visas will hurt Florida’s universities

Higher education advocates are warning that Gov. Ron DeSantis’ push to eliminate H1-B visas will weaken universities’ abilities to recruit the best professors, especially in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math.

American Association of Colleges and Universities President Lynn Pasquerella also said the state is overreaching and doesn’t have the authority to revoke or eliminate the visas.

“A state board, like the Florida Board of Governors, does not have the authority to revoke or eliminate H-1B visas since their regulation falls under the federal government,” Pasquerella said when reached for comment after DeSantis’ announcement. “The call for Florida universities to stop sponsoring new H1-B visas doesn’t change federal law, and individual states cannot unilaterally revoke federal immigration benefits.”

Where state governing boards have control is making policy changes on schools’ hiring practices to reduce or cease sponsoring H1-B visas, which Pasquerella added will likely be challenged in court.

Florida’s higher education leaders are celebrating seven of the public universities being ranked in the Top 100 for the U.S. News and World Report’s annual rankings. DeSantis has called Florida the No. 1 state in the country for its higher education.

But Pasquerella warned that targeting international professors will hurt schools academically.

“Limiting H-1B visas in Florida would threaten the public purpose of higher education in the state by undermining the ability to recruit and retain top international faculty, researchers, and students. This would weaken Florida universities’ competitive standing in the global academic landscape, especially in STEM disciplines,” Pasquerella said.

“This, of course, is antithetical to the avowed commitment to merit that has dominated the discourse around higher education in Florida.”

DeSantis announced Wednesday that he wants the Board of Governors to “pull the plug” on H1-B visas and quipped that schools aren’t using the visas to recruit the next Albert Einstein.

“We can do it with our residents in Florida or with Americans,” DeSantis said at a press conference at the University of South Florida. “And if we can’t do it, then man, we need to really look deeply about what is going on with this situation.”