Student Visa Integrity Act

Bill: 113-s-2781
Sponsor: Sen. Grassley, Chuck [R-IA]
Introduced: 2014-09-09 in the Senate
Policy area: Immigration
Subjects: Aviation and airports
Border security and unlawful immigration
Employee hiring
Fraud offenses and financial crimes
Government information and archives
Higher education
Immigration status and procedures
Licensing and registrations
School administration
Visas and passports
Vocational and technical education

Summary:
action_date: 2014-09-09
text: 
 Student Visa Integrity Act - Amends the federal criminal code to subject to fine and a 15-year prison term an owner, official, employee, or agent of an educational institution who commits fraud or misuse of visas, permits, and other immigration documents in connection with the institution's participation in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). 
 
Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) (Secretary) to require academic institutions (other than seminaries or other religious institutions) to be accredited for F-visa purposes if: (1) the institution is not already required to be accredited, and (2) an accrediting agency recognized by the Secretary of Education is able to provide such accreditation. 
 
Authorizes the Secretary to waive the accreditation requirement for an established college, university, or language training program that is otherwise in compliance with F-visa requirements and has been a candidate for accreditation for at least one year and continues to progress toward such accreditation. 
 
Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to authorize the Secretary to impose a monetary fine and suspend authority to issue a Form I-20 with regard to an institution failing to comply with Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) reporting requirements.
 
Authorizes the Secretary, upon reasonable suspicion that an owner of, or a designated school official at, an approved institution of higher education, another educational institution, or a designated exchange visitor program has committed SEVP-related fraud, to: (1) suspend such certification without prior notification, and (2) suspend such official's or such school's SEVIS access. 
 
Disqualifies permanently an owner or school official who is convicted of SEVP-related fraud from filing future petitions and from having an ownership interest or a management role in any U.S. educational institution that enrolls nonimmigrant alien students or nonimmigrant alien vocational students. 
 
Prohibits an individual from serving as a designated school official or from being granted access to SEVIS unless the individual: (1) is a U.S. national or a lawful permanent resident alien who, during the most recent three-year period, has undergone a specified background check; and (2) has completed a SEVP and SEVIS training course. Authorizes the Secretary to collect a fee for each such security check. 
 
Prohibits any flight school in the United States from accessing SEVIS or issuing a Form I-20 to an alien seeking a student or vocational student visa if the flight school has not been certified to the satisfaction of the Secretary and by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). 
 
Requires: (1) an accrediting agency or association, at the time it is required to notify the Secretary of Education and the appropriate state licensing agency of the final denial, withdrawal, suspension, or termination of an institution's accreditation, to notify the Secretary of such determination; and (2) the Secretary to withdraw the school from the SEVP and prohibit the school from accessing SEVIS. 
 
Directs the Secretary to implement both phases of the second generation SEVIS (SEVIS II) within two years.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-09-10
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5482-5483)
action_date: 2014-09-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2014-09-09
text: Introduced in Senate