Green card for moving to the outback: the US wants to create a new immigration program

The US Conference of Mayors supported the issuance of “backcountry visas.” The innovation should attract skilled immigrants to settle in communities that are now experiencing decline in order to replenish them with a new resource, the publication writes. Reason.

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Due to population decline and economic decline in the American heartland, some analysts and officials have begun to support the idea of ​​residence-based visas. In theory, they should attract highly skilled immigrants to regions experiencing decline and stagnation.

On July 6-7, the U.S. Conference of Mayors (a nonpartisan organization of mayors and other elected officials representing cities with populations of 30 or more) called on federal lawmakers to establish "heartland visas" that would attract highly skilled immigrants to communities experiencing out-migration and economic decline. .

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“We call on Congress to pass a downtown visa program to spur innovation, economic revitalization and job creation in cities like Cleveland and others across the country,” said Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, who supported the resolution.

Mayors list many reasons why "outback visas" can help struggling communities. Immigrants create many startups and contribute to the development of science and technology. Population growth in the 2010s "was among the slowest in the country's history." This threatens economic growth, the health of municipal finances and the housing market, mayors say.

“The current immigration system is failing because it admits too few skilled and entrepreneurial immigrants and is heavily skewed toward a few large metropolitan areas,” the resolution said.

The Economic Innovation Group (EIG), a bipartisan public policy organization, proposed a downtown visa program in 2019. It provides for dual opt-in, where “eligible counties must agree to participate in the program, while visa applicants can apply to the region of their choice.” Visa holders will be required to reside in a selected area for a certain period of time, but will be able to work remotely.

The program has an annual minimum of 100 visas, each valid for three years and renewable for an additional three years. Holders of “outback visas” will be able to quickly obtain the right to reside in the United States.

The EIG resolution suggests that a significant number of recipients of such visas may become permanent residents of the communities that accept them. A similar program operates in Canada. The percentage of Canadian immigrants who stay in their host country for 5 years averages 85%.

Outback visas and other place-based visas enjoy broader support among parties than other immigration proposals. According to a poll conducted in April by Public Opinion Strategies and the libertarian group Americans for Prosperity, about three-quarters of voters said they would support allowing “cities and towns with declining populations to attract high-skilled immigrants to their region.” Republican lawmakers have repeatedly introduced state-driven visa bills in Congress.

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Last year, two Republican governors—Eric Holcomb of Indiana and Spencer Cox of Utah—proposed state-sponsored visas as a way to “solve our nation’s immigration crisis.” Such a path “would give states a dynamic way to attract new residents,” they wrote.

“While border security is a national concern in a world plagued by drug cartels and terrorists, we believe states should be able to accept immigrants who meet the needs of their communities,” the governors said.

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