Amid population declines and economic stagnation in many parts of the American heartland, mayors across the United States are rallying behind a new initiative to attract high-skilled immigrants to their communities. The U.S. Conference of Mayors, a nonpartisan organization representing officials from over 1,400 cities, has endorsed the "Heartland Visa," a proposal aimed at rejuvenating areas facing demographic and economic challenges.
The Heartland Visa, which seeks to bring high-skilled immigrants and entrepreneurs to cities experiencing decline, was championed by Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb. "Mayors understand the critical role of high-skilled immigrants in boosting the prosperity and economic resilience of our cities," Bibb stated. "We urge Congress to enact a Heartland Visa program to spur innovation, revitalization, and job creation in cities like Cleveland and many others throughout the Heartland."
The mayors argue that the current U.S. immigration system is inadequate, allowing too few skilled immigrants and entrepreneurs into the country and concentrating them in a handful of major metropolitan areas. This imbalance, they believe, deprives smaller cities and towns of the economic benefits these immigrants can bring.
The Heartland Visa proposal highlights several potential benefits, including economic stimulus, real estate revitalization, fiscal strengthening, innovation, and workforce development. By increasing demand for goods and services, filling vacant homes and storefronts, and boosting the tax base, the initiative aims to stabilize and improve local economies. Moreover, high-skilled immigrants often bring new perspectives and innovative ideas, which can drive economic activity and fill critical gaps in local labor markets.
One of the most notable aspects of the Heartland Visa initiative is its broad bipartisan support, a rarity in today's polarized political climate. According to a national survey by Public Opinion Strategies and Americans for Prosperity, approximately three-quarters of American voters, including majorities across the political spectrum, favor increasing high-skilled immigration. This support extends to allowing struggling towns and cities with shrinking populations to recruit highly skilled immigrants.
The Economic Innovation Group (EIG), a bipartisan public policy organization, initially pitched the Heartland Visa program in 2019. Their updated framework calls for a dual opt-in system, where eligible cities can choose to participate, and immigrants can select their preferred destination from among those participating. To qualify, immigrants must have high-wage job offers or demonstrate a history of substantial earnings. In return for a six-year commitment to living in the chosen city, they would be granted an expedited path to permanent residency.
The EIG report suggests setting an annual floor of 100,000 visas, each valid for three years and renewable for another three years. High-earning visa holders would become eligible for a fast-tracked, self-sponsored path to permanent residency, bypassing burdensome labor market tests.
Historical precedent supports the potential success of such a program. A similar initiative in Canada has shown that a significant percentage of immigrants remain in their sponsoring provinces long-term, with an average retention rate of 85% after five years.
Support for place-based visas extends beyond local and state governments. Last year, Republican governors Eric Holcomb of Indiana and Spencer Cox of Utah proposed state-sponsored visas as a solution to the national immigration crisis. They argued that allowing states to sponsor immigrants would give them a dynamic means to attract new residents and address local labor needs.
"Though border security is a national concern, and a nonnegotiable requirement of national security in a world with drug cartels and terrorists," the governors wrote, "we believe that states should be able to sponsor whatever immigrants serve the needs of their communities."