Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., introduced a bill Tuesday that would require colleges and universities receiving federal funding or benefits to report noncitizen students, faculty members, and administrators to the federal Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, or SEVIS.
The bill, the Educational Visa Transparency Act of 2026, says covered institutions would have to submit that information within 60 days of enactment, and again within 30 days after each subsequent class registration deadline for an academic term.
The bill requires institutions receiving federal assistance to electronically provide SEVIS a "complete and accurate list" of all students, faculty members, and administrators enrolled at or employed by the institution who are not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents, disaggregated by visa type.
The bill says institutions would submit the information through SEVIS, and that designated officials at the Education, Justice, Homeland Security, and State departments could access it for official duties.
Cotton's office said the proposal is intended to protect sensitive academic research and would expand SEVIS to include student, faculty, and staff visa holders in U.S. higher education.
Cotton said in the release that "Unmonitored foreign nationals in the labs and research centers of our colleges and universities pose a grave national security threat" and said the bill would require tracking student and faculty visas.
SEVIS already operates as a federal tracking and recordkeeping system for foreign students and exchange visitors.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says the Student and Exchange Visitor Program collects, maintains, and analyzes information to ensure that only legitimate foreign students or exchange visitors gain entry to the United States.
The SEVIS overview states that schools use the system for compliance with non-immigrant student and exchange visitor regulations.
The proposal comes after the Justice Department announced on Nov. 5, 2025, that three research scholars from the People's Republic of China affiliated with a University of Michigan laboratory were charged in a criminal complaint with conspiracy to smuggle biological materials into the United States and making false statements to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers.
The department said Xu Bai, 28, Fengfan Zhang, 27, and Zhiyong Zhang, 30, were research scholars holding J-1 visas in the laboratory of Xianzhong Xu, commonly referred to as the Shawn Xu laboratory, and that the alleged shipments involved concealed biological materials related to roundworms.
However, the department also said that a criminal complaint is a formal charge, not evidence of guilt.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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