"An extremely useful tool would be a modified version of the place-based visa proposal that was developed by John Lettieri, Kenan Fikri, and Adam Ozimek for the Economic Innovation Group, and that’s been endorsed in one form or another by the US Conference of Mayors and many Democratic presidential campaigns.
The basic idea is to allow cities or counties with shrinking populations or labor forces to opt-in to a new visa allocation system. The recipient of a place-based system would get a five-year visa allowing them to live and work legally in the United States, contingent on maintaining residence in their designated community. After five years, the visa would convert to unrestricted, permanent residency.
The carrot of receiving lawful permanent residency after five years of complying with the terms of the visa would be the main enforcement mechanism — no need for internal border controls or document checks. Communities that opted in would benefit in the long-term from the basic reality that once a person lives somewhere for five years, they have decent odds of putting down some roots. That’s especially true for immigrants who often like to cluster in places where people from their same place of origin have moved.
The original idea was to open these visas to skilled workers from around the world, which remains a sound economic policy.
But as a foreign policy measure — and particularly as one that might appeal to conservative China hawks who are otherwise skeptical of immigration — opening up opt-in, US community-based visas specifically to residents of Hong Kong has a lot of appeal."
https://www.vox.com/2020/5/28/21272218/hong-kong-china-america-place-based-visas
The basic idea is to allow cities or counties with shrinking populations or labor forces to opt-in to a new visa allocation system. The recipient of a place-based system would get a five-year visa allowing them to live and work legally in the United States, contingent on maintaining residence in their designated community. After five years, the visa would convert to unrestricted, permanent residency.
The carrot of receiving lawful permanent residency after five years of complying with the terms of the visa would be the main enforcement mechanism — no need for internal border controls or document checks. Communities that opted in would benefit in the long-term from the basic reality that once a person lives somewhere for five years, they have decent odds of putting down some roots. That’s especially true for immigrants who often like to cluster in places where people from their same place of origin have moved.
The original idea was to open these visas to skilled workers from around the world, which remains a sound economic policy.
But as a foreign policy measure — and particularly as one that might appeal to conservative China hawks who are otherwise skeptical of immigration — opening up opt-in, US community-based visas specifically to residents of Hong Kong has a lot of appeal."
https://www.vox.com/2020/5/28/21272218/hong-kong-china-america-place-based-visas