Sponsor
Thomas Bryant Cotton
Senator · R-AR
Senator · R-AR
The bill centralizes and standardizes reporting to give federal agencies faster, more consistent access to noncitizen student and employee data—improving enforcement and program integrity but increasing surveillance and privacy risks, creating compliance costs for institutions, and potentially chilling international academic exchange.
Noncitizen students, faculty, and administrators will be subject to a centralized, regularly updated federal data feed so immigration and program-eligibility checks can be performed faster and more consistently.
Colleges and universities that receive federal funds will have a single reporting standard and schedule, reducing ambiguity about compliance expectations across agencies.
Federal agencies (ED, DOJ, DHS, State) will receive timelier, consolidated data to enforce visa rules and protect program integrity, which could reduce fraud or misuse of student status and protect taxpayer-funded programs.
Noncitizen students, faculty, and staff will face increased federal surveillance and heightened privacy risks because personally identifiable and immigration-related data are centrally collected and frequently shared.
Errors or delays in institutional reporting could lead to immigration enforcement actions or loss of status for affected noncitizens because institutions must certify accuracy on a tight timeline.
Wider federal access to detailed institutional data may chill international recruitment and academic exchange if prospective students or scholars fear data sharing with enforcement agencies, reducing campus diversity and international collaboration.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires federally funded colleges to submit lists of noncitizen/non‑LPR students, faculty, and administrators to SEVIS within 60 days and then within 30 days after each registration deadline, disaggregated by visa type.
Official title: 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.
Introduced March 24, 2026 by Thomas Bryant Cotton · Last progress March 24, 2026
Requires every institution of higher education that receives federal funds or benefits to electronically submit to SEVIS a complete, disaggregated list of all non‑U.S. citizen and non‑lawful permanent resident students, faculty, and administrators, by visa type, within 60 days of enactment and then within 30 days after each subsequent class‑registration deadline. The bill also authorizes officials at Departments of Education, Justice, Homeland Security, and State to access that SEVIS data to carry out their duties.