Introduction Of The Student Visa Security Improvement Act

Floor Speech

* Mr. BILIRAKIS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Student Visa Security Improvement Act, legislation that will strengthen the screening of those seeking student visas and enhance the monitoring of foreign students in the United States.

* I fully support allowing foreign students and exchange visitors to enter our country for legitimate academic and cultural purposes. However, recent media reports have disclosed schools that have helped individuals fraudulently obtain student visas or failed to report students that did not attend class. Several 9/11 terrorists overstayed their student visas and details are emerging that the suspected Times Square bomber, Faisal Shahzad, first entered the United States on a student visa.

* I am concerned that there are insufficient controls to ensure that those receiving student and exchange visas are properly vetted before being granted admission to the United States. Once they are here, we must ensure they are appropriately monitored. That is why I have introduced the Student Visa Security Improvement Act.

* This bill will require Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel stationed at high-risk visa issuing posts overseas to review student and exchange visa applications and conduct interviews with applicants before they are granted a visa. These ICE agents bring enhanced security and law enforcement experience that will better ensure that prospective foreign students are not security risks.

* This bill also will require that foreign students are active participants in the programs in which they are enrolled and are observed at least once every 30 days during an academic term or every 60 days outside an academic term. In addition, the bill requires that changes impacting a student's nonimmigrant status, such as switching to a more sensitive academic major or transferring to another institution, will be reported to the Department of Homeland Security in a more timely manner. These improvements will reduce the opportunity for potential terrorists to use student visas as a back door into the country for the purpose of carrying out terrorist attacks, as happened on 9/11.

* Madam Speaker, I greatly value the contributions that foreign students and exchange visitors make to our nation and its cultural diversity. I believe that these bright young people are critically-important public diplomacy tools for our country. But we must ensure they are coming here for the right reasons. The Student Visa Security Improvement Act will enhance homeland security and ensure the integrity of the Student and Exchange Visitor Program. I urge our colleagues to support it.

Source