H-1B Crackdown on Indian Workers Erodes a Texas Real Estate Boom
Skilled professionals who transformed a region now face exile.
Ravi Vavilala in his backyard in Celina, Texas.
By Prashant Gopal and Tanaz Meghjani
Photographs by Vikesh Kapoor
June 3, 2026 at 4:00 PM CDT
Zach Schneider points to a room just off the foyer of a $1 million model home north of Dallas. The 40-year-old builder has staged it with shelves and a dark wooden desk, done up like a typical study. But its tall, north-facing windows hint at the use it was designed for — as a puja room, a traditional Hindu prayer space. Down the hall there’s an area that could one day be redolent with turmeric, cumin and cardamom. “A spice kitchen,” he says, highlighting an optional upgrade that could appeal to a buyer from India.
For almost a decade, South Asians have been the driving force behind this region’s building boom, one of the biggest in the US during the pandemic. They once accounted for 70% of sales at Schneider’s Tradition Homes. But in the past year they’ve dropped below 30%. His family-owned company has a backlog of 125 luxury properties under construction.
https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2026-dallas-h1b-housing-market/
"By Prashant Gopal and Tanaz Meghjani
Photographs by Vikesh Kapoor"
They ALL have to go back.