New Heartland Immigrant Visa Proposed By America’s Mayors
The United States has long benefited from skilled immigrants, who contribute significantly to national entrepreneurship and innovation. According to The Economic Innovation Group (EIG), a bipartisan public policy organization dedicated to improving the American economy through research and working with policymakers, skilled immigrants were responsible for 30 to 50 percent of all productivity growth between 1990 and 2010. But EIG says the economic benefits of skilled immigration are highly concentrated in a few coastal "superstar" metros with three-quarters of U.S. patents originating from just 100 such counties. Currently, according to EIG research, only 4.4 percent of highly educated immigrants live in heartland regions, compared to 20 percent nationally. To counter this trend the U.S. Conference of Mayors recently adopted a bipartisan resolution endorsing a Heartland Visa proposal to revitalize local economies through high-skilled immigration.
A novel approach, the Heartland Visa, proposes leveraging the talent of skilled workers to rejuvenate areas affected by deindustrialization by redistributing skilled workers across the country. This visa would offer a new immigration pathway for highly skilled workers, entrepreneurs, and innovators and simplify their path to permanent residency in return for their commitment to live in participating communities experiencing economic decline. The key features of the proposal are outlined briefly below.
The Heartland Visa offers a strategic solution to more evenly distribute the benefits of skilled immigration across the United States. By incentivizing skilled immigrants to settle in overlooked regions, the program not only promises to bolster local economies but also provides new opportunities for immigrants.
Eligible regions for the Heartland Visa include those with significant population declines or economic stagnation, generally characterized by higher poverty rates and lower median incomes compared to more prosperous counties. Introducing skilled immigrants to these areas could help reverse these negative trends and stimulate economic development.
This program could set a precedent for regional development through targeted immigration policies, harnessing the full potential of America's immigrant workforce to revitalize the heartland.