Golden Visa Accountability Act
Bill: H.R.4142 | Sponsor: Rep. Kinzinger, Adam (R-IL)
Policy area: Immigration

Summary:
Golden Visa Accountability Act
This bill requires the Department of State to establish and maintain a database containing information about investor visa denials due to the applicant's involvement in corruption or serious human rights abuses. (Generally, the United States offers immigrant visas to qualified individuals who invest in the United States and create a certain number of full-time jobs.)
Initially, the database must include records related to such denials of U.S. investor visas. The bill also requires the State Department to eventually expand the database to include records of such denials of investor visas in other countries. The State Department shall prioritize including records from European Union countries and from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
The State Department may admit a foreign country to be part of the database if the State Department determines (1) that country will be honest and forthcoming with its records, and (2) that country's investor visa program is at risk of abuse by corrupt foreign officials.

To require the Secretary of State to establish an investor visa denials 
                   database, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Golden Visa Accountability Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Foreign state.--The term ``foreign state'' has the 
        meaning given such term in section 1603 of title 28, United 
        States Code.
            (2) Foreign investor visa.--The term ``foreign investor 
        visa'' means any visa or passport granted by a foreign investor 
        visa program.
            (3) Foreign investor visa denial.--The term ``foreign 
        investor visa denial'' means the decision of a foreign state to 
        deny an applicant a foreign investor visa because of 
        involvement in corruption or serious human rights abuse.
            (4) Foreign investor visa program.--The term ``foreign 
        investor visa program'' means any visa or passport program of a 
        foreign state that provides a visa or citizenship in exchange 
        for an investment of any size.
            (5) United states investor visa denial.--The term ``United 
        States investor visa denial'' means a decision to deny an 
        applicant a visa under section 203(b)(5) of the Immigration and 
        Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1153(b)(5)) because of involvement in 
        corruption or serious human rights abuse.

SEC. 3. INVESTOR VISA DENIALS DATABASE.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall establish an 
investor visa denials database. Initially, this database shall include 
records related to United States investor visa denials, for the purpose 
of coordinating with foreign states--
            (1) to prevent the abuse of investor visas by foreign 
        corrupt officials or criminals;
            (2) to ensure that the proceeds of corruption are not used 
        to purchase an investor visa; and
            (3) to counter the tendency of foreign corrupt officials 
        and criminals to ``shop'' for an investor visa.
    (b) Expansion.--The Secretary of State shall expand the database to 
include foreign investor visa denials. Foreign states that provide 
records related to foreign investor visa denials for inclusion in the 
database shall gain access to records contained therein. Priority 
foreign states for inclusion in this database are--
            (1) the foreign states of the European Union, which include 
        Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech 
        Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, 
        Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, 
        Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, 
        Spain, and Sweden; and
            (2) the foreign states of the Five Eyes, which include 
        Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
    (c) Admission.--Foreign states may of their own volition apply for 
access to, and inclusion in, the investor visa denials database. The 
Secretary of State may admit a foreign state to the database if the 
Secretary determines that--
            (1) the foreign state will be honest and forthcoming with 
        records regarding its foreign investor visa denials; and
            (2) the foreign investor visa program is at risk of abuse 
        by foreign corrupt officials.
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