Republican Senator John Curtis introduced a bill on July 30, 2026, that would permit U.S. states to operate their own migrant worker visa programs tailored to local labor demands. The legislation, now held by the Senate Judiciary Committee, was unveiled alongside a Democratic Arizona senator.

The proposal would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish a new nonimmigrant visa category for workers and investors, including their spouses and children under 18, with terms lasting up to three years. States would set employment and residence rules subject to approval by the Department of Homeland Security. Visa holders would be ineligible for federal means-tested benefits.

The bill also includes provisions described by the Deseret News as a possible pathway to legal residency for illegal immigrants who have resided in the United States since December 2025. These individuals would need to pass a background check and pay a $1,000 penalty to qualify.

The program would cap visas at 5,000 per state each fiscal year, with additional visas drawn from a nationwide pool of 245,000 slots. The Cato Institute linked the bill's concept to a 2017 proposal from a Republican senator, and it mirrors a 2011 Utah guest-worker plan that was never approved at the federal level.

Some conservative leaders have criticized the bill, calling it a "betrayal" to voters due to its amnesty provisions.

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