Rep. Gill Bill Restores Integrity in Student Visa Program

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Brandon Gill (TX-26) today introduced the Student Visa Integrity Act to address abuses of the student visa process and keep American schools from training adversaries.

"Studying in the United States is a privilege, not a right. Unfortunately, a system intended to spread the American dream has been abused by fraudsters and bad actors," said Rep. Gill. "My bill restores integrity to a system that has been exploited for decades by protecting national security, enforcing immigration law, and ensuring the student visa program serves America's interests."

This bill revises the current visa process by establishing firm program end dates and expanding in-person interview requirements to prevent student visa overstays. Additionally, it bars nationals from adversarial nations from studying in the United States, and it requires schools to disclose any financial or institutional ties to the Chinese government. The legislation strengthens enforcement of the system by restricting program transfers and imposing serious penalties (including prison eligibility or program disqualification) on schools and officials who commit visa fraud.

Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) introduced companion legislation in the Senate.

"I was shocked to learn how many students from hostile countries like China and Iran are studying at our American universities-including in my home state of Alabama," said Sen. Tuberville. "We need to go on offense against countries who hate us and are desperate to try to take us down-as we saw with the violent, anti-American protests on our college campuses over the last year. There is zero reason why we should be allowing students from countries that hate us to take the spot of a law-abiding American citizen at our elite colleges and universities. I'm proud to introduce the Student Visa Integrity Act in the Senate and thankful for Rep. Gill's efforts in the House of Representatives to crack down on rampant abuse of student visas and to make our American Universities Prioritize Americans Again."

Cosponsors: Reps. Nehls, Collins

Supporting Groups: Immigration Accountability Project, Heritage Action

Background

• The federal government tracks foreign students through the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), created after national-security failures exposed weaknesses in paper-based student visa tracking.

• SEVIS has received minimal modernization in more than 20 years, despite a surge in foreign student enrollment-from roughly 750,000 in 2012 to more than 1.5 million today.

• In Fiscal Year 2023 alone, an estimated 50,000 student and exchange visitor visa holders overstayed their authorized programs, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

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