Educational Visa Transparency Act of 2026

Tom Cotton

Republican · AR · Senator

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

No cosponsors on record. Bills can pass without cosponsors — this often means the sponsor introduced the bill alone, either because it's a messaging bill, a chairman's mark, or simply early in the legislative cycle.

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

2026-03-24

Source: Congress.gov

This bill would require the government to publicly report detailed information about student visas, including how many are issued, where students come from, what they study, and where they work after graduation. The transparency would help lawmakers, schools, and the public understand the impact of international student programs on American education and the job market. Students, universities, and immigration officials would all be affected by these new reporting requirements.

AI-assisted summary generated from the official bill metadata (title, subjects, actions) sourced from Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed. Always verify against the official text linked below.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [S. 4165 Introduced in Senate (IS)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 4165 To require all institutions of higher education receiving Federal assistance to regularly submit information to the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System regarding students, faculty, and administrators who are not United States citizens or lawful permanent residents. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES March 24, 2026 Mr. Cotton introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To require all institutions of higher education receiving Federal assistance to regularly submit information to the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System regarding students, faculty, and administrators who are not United States citizens or lawful permanent residents. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Educational Visa Transparency Act of 2026''. SEC. 2. MANDATORY REPORTING OF ALIENS AT INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION. (a) In General.--Section 641 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 1372) is amended-- (1) by redesignating subsection (h) as subsection (i); and (2) by inserting after subsection (g) the following: ``(h) SEVIS Expansion.-- ``(1) In general.--Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of the Educational Visa Transparency Act of 2026, and not later than 30 days after each subsequent deadline for class registration for an academic term, each institution of higher education (as defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)) that receives funding or benefits from the Federal Government shall electronically submit to the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System a complete and accurate list of all students, faculty members, and administrators enrolled at or employed by such institution who are not United States citizens or lawful permanent residents, disaggregated by the type of visa held. ``(2) Access to information.--Officials of the Department of Education, the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of State shall have access to the information submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) for the purpose of carrying out the duties of their respective offices.''. <all>

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