Visa Overstays Penalties Act

This bill would raise penalties for illegal entry and for people who overstay a visa. It creates a new rule that if a person on a temporary (nonimmigrant) visa falls out of status for a total of 10 days, they’ve committed a violation. The first time, they could face a fine or up to 6 months in jail. If it happens again, or if they were already convicted of illegal entry, they could face a fine or up to 2 years in jail. On top of any criminal punishment, there would also be civil fines of $500 to $1,000 per violation, and those civil fines would double for repeat cases. The bill also increases existing fines for illegal entry, raising the minimum fine from $50 to $500.

In short, the bill makes even short overstays riskier and more expensive, and it increases penalties for crossing the border illegally. People who have repeated violations would face tougher penalties than first‑time offenders.

• Who is affected: People who enter the U.S. illegally, and people in the U.S. on temporary visas who fall out of status for 10 total days or more.
• What changes: Higher fines for illegal entry; new criminal charges and civil fines for short visa overstays; tougher penalties for repeat offenses.
• Impact: Even brief overstays could bring criminal charges and fines, with larger penalties for repeat violations.