March 24, 2026
Mr. Cotton introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
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.
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.