WASHINGTON, D.C. – The battle over U.S. visas for foreign workers is heating up again at federal level as well as locally.
In early August, Sen. John Curtis (R-UT) proposed bipartisan legislation to create a new state-run temporary visa program to address unique workforce and economic development needs.
“I’ve heard time and again from small business owners, farmers and ranchers across Utah how difficult it has become to hire enough workers to meet growing market demands,” according to Curtis.
“This legislation would help fill the gap by creating a pilot program allowing states to sponsor visas tailored to their unique economies, without sacrificing rigorous federal vetting or accountability.”
The State Sponsored Visa Pilot Program Act of 2026 would create an alternative to federal visa programs, which has been under fire from officials of the Trump administration since 2025.
Curtis’s proposal is opposed by former congressman Jason Chaffetz, who is widely rumored as positioning himself as a Republican gubernatorial candidate in 2028.
“Utah should take a hard pass on bringing in more cheap foreign labor,” Chaffetz wrote in an op-ed published in the Deseret News on Aug. 5.
“Now that long-standing bipartisan immigration laws are actually being enforced, lawmakers are being lobbied hard to reopen the spigot.
“I categorically reject this approach,” he added.
Despite having one of the strongest economies in the country, Utah faces a significant workforce shortage—particularly in agriculture, construction, and hospitality, according to a 2025 report issued by the Sutherland Institutute.
Under Curtis proposed legislation, states could voluntarily establish state-sponsored visa programs tailored to their labor market demands, subject to approval by the Department of Homeland Security. Participating states would determine which workers or investors they sponsor while remaining responsible for monitoring compliance with program requirements.
If enacted, that legislation would run counter to efforts by the second Trump administration to crackdown on U.S. visa abuses.
In February, the U.S. State Department paused all visa issuances to immigrant applicants, including college students, from a list of high-risk counties.
In early August, federal officials revoked more than 175,000 visas from foreign nationals who violated the terms of their visas, committed crimes, called for violence against U.S. citizens, defrauded Americans, abused immigration systems or endangered national security.
Chaffetz wrote that the legislation proposed by Curtis and Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) would undo the efforts of the Trump administration by offering cheap labor over healthy wages and affordable housing in Utah.
“We have college graduates with student loans to pay who can’t find internships and first jobs,” he argues. “Yet federal lawmakers continue to incentivize cheap foreign labor across both blue-collar and white-collar industries.”
Curtis emphasizes, however, that his proposed legislation also includes strong safeguards to protect taxpayers and uphold immigration laws.
State-sponsored visa holders would be ineligible for federal means-tested benefits; would be subject to all applicable federal, state and local labor and tax laws; and could lose their status if they violate program requirements or leave the sponsoring state without authorization.
The State Sponsored Visa Pilot Program Act of 2026 would likely face the threat of a presidential veto if enacted, according to Capital Hill observers.