I 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3120 
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to require accreditation of 
certain educational institutions for purposes of a nonimmigrant student 
visa, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 6, 2011 
Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to require 
accreditation of certain educational institutions for pur-
poses of a nonimmigrant student visa, and for other 
purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Student Visa Reform 
Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. ACCREDITATION REQUIREMENT FOR COLLEGES 
AND UNIVERSITIES. 
Section 101(a) of the Immigration and Nationality 
Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (15)(F)(i)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘section 214(l) at an estab-
lished college, university, seminary, conserv-
atory, academic high school, elementary school, 
or other academic institution or in an accred-
ited language training program in the United 
States’’ and inserting ‘‘section 214(m) at an ac-
credited college, university, or language training 
program, or at an established seminary, con-
servatory, academic high school, elementary 
school, or other academic institution in the 
United States’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘Attorney General’’ each 
place such term appears and inserting ‘‘Sec-
retary of Homeland Security’’; and 
(2) by amending paragraph (52) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(52) The term ‘accredited college, university, 
or language training program’ means a college, uni-
versity, or language training program that is accred-
ited by an accrediting agency recognized by the Sec-
retary of Education.’’. 
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SEC. 3. ACCREDITATION OF OTHER ACADEMIC INSTITU-
TIONS. 
Section 214(m) of the Immigration and Nationality 
Act (8 U.S.C. 1184(m)) is amended by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘(3) The Secretary of Homeland Security, in 
the Secretary’s discretion, may require accreditation 
of an academic institution (except for seminaries or 
other religious institutions) for purposes of section 
101(a)(15)(F) if— 
‘‘(A) that institution is not already re-
quired 
to 
be 
accredited 
under 
section 
101(a)(15)(F)(i); 
‘‘(B) an appropriate accrediting agency 
recognized by the Secretary of Education is 
able to provide such accreditation; and 
‘‘(C) the institution has or will have 25 or 
more alien students accorded status as non-
immigrants under clause (i) or (iii) of section 
101(a)(15)(F) pursuing a course of study at 
that institution.’’. 
SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in subsection 
(b), the amendments made by sections 2, 3, and 5 shall— 
(1) take effect on the date that is 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act; and 
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(2) apply with respect to applications for a non-
immigrant visa under section 101(a)(15)(F)(i) of the 
Immigration 
and 
Nationality 
Act 
(8 
U.S.C. 
1101(a)(15)(F)(i)) that are filed on or after the ef-
fective date described in paragraph (1). 
(b) TEMPORARY EXCEPTION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—During the 3-year period be-
ginning on the date of enactment of this Act, an 
alien seeking to enter the United States to pursue 
a course of study at a college or university that has 
been certified by the Secretary of Homeland Secu-
rity may be granted a nonimmigrant visa under 
clause (i) or clause (iii) of section 101(a)(15)(F) of 
the Immigration and Nationality Act without regard 
to whether or not that college or university has been 
accredited or been denied accreditation by an entity 
described in section 101(a)(52) of such Act. 
(2) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENT.—An alien may 
not be granted a nonimmigrant visa under para-
graph (1) if the college or university to which the 
alien seeks to enroll does not— 
(A) submit an application for the accredi-
tation of such institution to a regional or na-
tional accrediting agency recognized by the Sec-
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retary of Education within 1 year after the date 
of the enactment of this Act; and 
(B) comply with the applicable accrediting 
requirements of such agency. 
SEC. 5. CONFORMING AMENDMENT. 
Section 212(a)(6)(G) of the Immigration and Nation-
ality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(6)(G)) is amended by striking 
‘‘section 214(l)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 214(m)’’. 
Æ 
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