State-Sponsored Visa Pilot Program Act of 2026

This bill would create a new temporary visa category that lets states sponsor foreign nationals to live and work in that state to support its economic development. A state's program must be approved by its legislature and the Department of Homeland Security, and visa holders must live and work only in the sponsoring state (or states in a compact), or their status may be ended and removal started. Status lasts up to 3 years and can be renewed at the state's request, and visa holders could not receive federal means-tested benefits. The bill sets a yearly visa cap starting at 5,000 per participating state plus a share of 245,000 based on population, adjusted by compliance rates, and allows states to require bonds. It also lets states request waivers for certain people who were in the U.S. on December 31, 2016, if they pay a penalty of at least $1,000.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• John R. Curtis Republican sponsor
• 1 cosponsors