Student Visa Security Improvement Act

HR 414, the Student Visa Security Improvement Act, requires enhanced background checks for student visa applicants (F, J, M categories) by directing DHS to implement in-person interviews and stricter reviews within 180 days of enactment, focusing on potential terrorist inadmissibility. It mandates schools and exchange programs to track student attendance (limiting unobserved periods to 30 days per term), report enrollment changes within 10 days, and verify academic progress through updated SEVIS system requirements. The bill also requires institutions to provide trained staff access to SEVIS, update data fields for academic verification, and enables DHS to decertify institutions posing security risks. These provisions directly affect international students, their host institutions, and exchange program sponsors participating in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program.