The State-Sponsored Visa Pilot Program Act of 2026 creates a new nonimmigrant visa category allowing individual states to sponsor foreign workers for temporary residence in the United States. Under the program, states can admit aliens to work, invest capital, or contribute to economic development as determined by each state, with accompanying spouses and minor children also eligible. Each state can receive a baseline of 5,000 visas annually plus additional allocations based on population and economic growth, with visa numbers adjusted based on state compliance rates and economic indicators. Participants must pass security vetting, pay bonds (starting at $4,000 if more than 3 percent of a state's participants violate program terms), remain employed and resident in their sponsoring state, and cannot receive federal means-tested benefits. States must assess labor needs and wage data, investigate worker displacement complaints, and report annually to federal authorities. The bill includes provisions allowing certain aliens physically present in the United States since December 31, 2016 to apply for waivers of deportability grounds. The Department of Homeland Security must issue implementing regulations within 180 days, and the program takes effect the first fiscal year after enactment.
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