On June 26, 2025, the Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement of the Judiciary Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives (the “Subcommittee”) hosted a hearing titled, “Restoring Integrity and Security to the Visa Process.” The hearing lasted approximately two hours and featured four witnesses: (1) Jessica Vaughan, Director of Policy Studies at the Center for Immigration Studies; (2) Simon Hankinson, Senior Research Fellow, Border Security and Immigration Center at the Heritage Foundation; (3) Cody Brown, Managing Attorney at Codias Law; and (4) Alex Nowrasteh, Vice President for Economic and Social Policy Studies at the Cato Institute.

The key takeaways from the hearing were:

• Majority members raised concerns about fraud in the student visa system, citing a range of violations including espionage and visa overstays and questioned whether the student visa-vetting process is sufficiently effective. The members alleged that nonexistent “schools” have been set up in the United States for the sole purpose of facilitating fraudulent claims of student status by foreigners.

• Witnesses urged Congress to impose severe consequences for student visa fraud, including revoking a university’s authorization to admit foreign students if a significant percentage of its students overstay their visas. One witness proposed issuing student visas only in connection with studies at accredited U.S. institutions and capping the number of visas granted at a percentage of that institution’s student body.

• Majority members expressed support for the government’s announced plan to review social media profiles of student visa applicants, arguing that applicants who post “radical” or “anti-American” content should be denied visas. In contrast, Minority members opposed this review, arguing that it would stifle dissent.

• One witness argued that the H-1B visa program benefits large corporations at the expense of smaller employers and American workers, highlighting the high unemployment rate among recent U.S. college graduates.

• Minority members voiced strong support for the student and H-1B visa programs, arguing that the H-1B visa program makes the U.S. economy more robust and competitive.

The authors thank summer associate Gwyneth Hochhausler for her contributions to this publication.

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