GOP Congressman Proposes Legislation To Prohibit Chinese Nationals From Obtaining U.S. Student Visas

Rep. Riley Moore (R-WV) introduced legislation to prohibit Chinese nationals from obtaining U.S. student visas.

According to Fox News, Moore says the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) exploits the U.S. student visa program.

“He is now expected to introduce the Stop Chinese Communist Prying by Vindicating Intellectual Safeguards in Academia Act, or the Stop CCP VISAs Act, on Friday,” Fox News reports.

New: West Virginia GOP Representative Riley Moore has introduced legislation to ban Chinese nationals from gaining access to the American student visa program

Do you support this legislation by @RepRileyMoore @RileyMooreWV? pic.twitter.com/G9TRlJcXom

— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) March 12, 2025

Fox News reports:

The bill is still being circulated for co-sponsors, Fox News Digital was told, but people expected to support the bill include Reps. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., Scott Perry, R-Pa., and Brandon Gill, R-Texas.

“Every year, we allow nearly 300,000 Chinese nationals to come to the U.S. on student visas. We’ve literally invited the CCP to spy on our military, steal our intellectual property, and threaten national security,” Moore said.

“Just last year, the FBI charged five Chinese nationals here on student visas after they were caught photographing joint US-Taiwan live-fire military exercises. This cannot continue.”

He called on Congress to act on “China’s exploitation of our student visa program.”

“It’s time we turn off the spigot and immediately ban all student visas going to Chinese nationals,” he said.

“We cannot give ***300,000*** Chinese nationals unfettered access to the U.S. each year when we know the CCP is exploiting our hospitality for espionage,” Moore said.

We cannot give ***300,000*** Chinese nationals unfettered access to the U.S. each year when we know the CCP is exploiting our hospitality for espionage. https://t.co/wYJPdH4v73

— Rep. Riley M. Moore (@RepRileyMoore) March 12, 2025

“This is great legislation that I am proud to co-sponsor,” Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) said.

This is great legislation that I am proud to co-sponsor. https://t.co/PHL9RyGsGU

— Congressman Brandon Gill (@RepBrandonGill) March 12, 2025

Scoop: Riley Moore is circulating this bill for co-sponsors that would ban Chinese nationals from getting U.S. student visas

Andy Ogles, Scott Perry, Brandon Gill expected to back it so far

Story on @FoxNews: https://t.co/zwxAyPwzPq pic.twitter.com/WUQZ7oR0V0

— Liz Elkind (@liz_elkind) March 12, 2025

A closer look:

Moore wrote in Newsweek last month:

Federal authorities recently charged five Chinese nationals who photographed U.S. troops conducting live-fire exercises with the Taiwanese military in Michigan. Shockingly, all five of these young men were here on student visas. Their story is just one example of an alarming and growing trend of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) using our academic institutions as platforms for espionage.

It’s time our elected officials responded with the urgency this threat demands. There’s one immediate thing Congress can do to stem this threat: end China’s exploitation of our student visa program.

During the 2023-2024 academic year, nearly 300,000 Chinese nationals came to the United States on a student visa—a shockingly high figure. While many of these visa holders came here to study, far too many also served as intelligence gatherers or paid spies for the CCP.

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We cannot eliminate this threat by simply devoting more time and money to the visa vetting process. More robust vetting is a good start, but as the Congressional Research Service has shown, the United States cannot accurately flag the espionage-related risk factors of student visa applicants because many who enter the United States with pure intentions are later recruited or coerced by the CCP to engage in espionage.

The recent story from Michigan is just one documented incident where Chinese visa holders were caught attempting to access a secure facility or successfully gained access to sensitive government labs or military installations. Last year, a Chinese student, here on a visa, was caught flying a drone with a camera over a naval shipyard in Newport News, Virginia. This individual was subsequently convicted under the Espionage Act.

In 2023, a Chinese national who first came here on a student visa was sentenced to eight years in federal prison for his role in trying to obtain access to advanced technology being developed by U.S. companies.

These incidents are part of a larger effort by the Chinese Communist Party to spy on America. The public witnessed firsthand a Chinese spy balloon fly across the American continent, just as they saw well-documented coverage of tens of thousands of Chinese nationals sneaking across our southern border.