Yellowhammer Times

U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) has introduced new legislation aimed at restricting students from countries considered adversarial to the United States, specifically China and Iran, from enrolling in American colleges and universities. The proposed Student Visa Integrity Act would prohibit nationals from these countries from obtaining student visas to study in the U.S.

Senator Tuberville announced the bill during an appearance on "Mornings with Maria." He stated, “I was recently shocked to learn how many students from hostile countries like China and Iran are studying at our American universities—including in my home state of Alabama. We need to go on offense against countries who hate us and are desperate to try to take us down—as we saw with the violent, anti-American protests on our college campuses over the past few months. There is zero reason why we should be allowing students from countries that hate us to take the spot of a law-abiding American citizen at our elite colleges and universities. I’m proud to introduce the Student Visa Integrity Act to crack down on rampant abuse of student visas and to make our American Universities Prioritize Americans Again.”

The legislation has received endorsements from several organizations, including the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), Immigration Accountability Project, and Heritage Action.

Joe Chatham, Director of Government Relations for FAIR, commented, “The Student Visa Integrity Act makes it clear: a student visa is a privilege, not a right. Visas provide foreign nationals a special opportunity to study in the United States before returning home – not a free pass to exploit our laws or remain indefinitely in the country. FAIR is proud to support this bill and applauds Senator Tuberville for fighting to prevent student visa abuse, uphold our laws, and keep American communities safe.”

Grant Newman, Director of Government Relations for Immigration Accountability Project, said, “The student visa program has been plagued with fraud and abuse for decades, and reforms are long overdue. The Student Visa Integrity Act of 2025 would help restore integrity to the program, ending open-ended ‘duration of status’ for foreign students, increasing penalties for program abuse, and closing significant national security loopholes exploited by our foreign adversaries. The Immigration Accountability Project is thankful to Senator Tuberville for introducing this vital effort.”

Steve Chartan, Vice President of Government Relations for Heritage Action added: “China and other adversarial countries pose a direct threat to the United States, our schools, educators, and our students. The Student Visa Integrity Act would protect American educational institutions from foreign influence. Heritage Action has worked tirelessly to promote legislation that protects our education system from destructive foreign adversaries. We are committed to this goal and applaud Senator Tuberville for introducing the Student Visa Integrity Act.”

Foreign students in the U.S. are tracked through the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), which was mandated after security concerns arose following incidents such as the 1993 World Trade Center Bombing involving an individual on an expired student visa. SEVIS was implemented in 2003 but has seen limited updates since then.

According to recent data cited by Senator Tuberville’s office, there are about 1.5 million international students currently studying in the U.S., more than double compared with 2012 figures. In Fiscal Year 2023 alone, approximately 50,000 holders of student or exchange visitor visas overstayed their authorized period after completing their programs.

Senator Tuberville serves Alabama in the U.S. Senate as a member of several committees including Armed Services; Agriculture; Veterans’ Affairs; Health Education Labor & Pensions (HELP); and Aging.