State Sponsored Visa Pilot Program Act of 2019
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State Sponsored Visa Pilot Program Act of 2019
This bill grants nonimmigrant visas to qualified aliens sponsored by a U.S. state (or the District of Columbia) to perform services, provide investment, or otherwise contribute to the state's economy.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall issue a visa to a qualified alien sponsored through a state program that (1) was approved by the state's legislature, (2) regulates the employment and residence of the alien, (3) has procedures to inform DHS of the alien's noncompliance with requirements, and (4) allows the alien to seek employment with new employers. Such a visa may be valid for up to three years and may be renewed.
An alien with such a visa shall (1) be authorized to work and reside in the sponsoring state, (2) be subject to all relevant tax and employment laws, and (3) not be entitled to federal public benefits. States may enter into an agreement to jointly administer a sponsoring program, and to provide work authorization to aliens sponsored by other states that are party to the agreement.
The number of visas available to each state shall be increased or decreased annually based on factors including (1) the state's economic growth in the prior year, and (2) the percentage of state-sponsored aliens that violated the program's rules.
States are authorized to take various actions to enforce program rules. DHS and the Department of Justice shall jointly develop a visa application fraud prevention program.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship.
- Introduced in House Formatted Text PDF Formatted XML
Cite this page
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 5174: State Sponsored Visa Pilot Program Act of 2019. 116th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-5174/
"H.R. 5174: State Sponsored Visa Pilot Program Act of 2019." 116th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-5174/.
H.R. 5174, 116th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-5174/.
[H.R. 5174: State Sponsored Visa Pilot Program Act of 2019](https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-5174/)