22 U.S.C. § 2723: Denial of visas

Summary

The Secretary must tell Congress whenever a U.S. consulate denies a visa because of terrorist activity or for foreign policy reasons. Each report must give the person’s name, nationality, and a short factual reason for the denial. Every six months the Secretary must also report any case where a consulate or the State Department’s Visa Office issued a visa to someone who was not allowed into the United States because of terrorist activity, or did not object to such issuance, naming the person, nationality, issuing post, and a brief factual explanation. Reports may be classified and must protect intelligence sources and methods. "Appropriate committees" means the House Committees on the Judiciary and on Foreign Affairs, and the Senate Committees on the Judiciary and on Foreign Relations.

Title 22, §2723

Foreign Relations and Intercourse, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Report to Congress

(1)Denial of visas

The Secretary shall report, on a timely basis, to the appropriate committees of the Congress each time a consular post denies a visa on the grounds of terrorist activities or foreign policy. Such report shall set forth the name and nationality of each such person and a factual statement of the basis for such denial.

(2)Visa issuance to inadmissible aliens

The Secretary shall, on a semiannual basis, submit to the appropriate committees of the Congress a report describing every instance during the period covered by the report in which a consular post or the Visa Office of the Department of State issued an immigrant or nonimmigrant visa to an alien who is inadmissible to the United States based upon terrorist activity or failed to object to the issuance of an immigrant or nonimmigrant visa to an alien notwithstanding any such ground of inadmissibility. The report shall set forth the name and nationality of the alien, the issuing post, and a brief factual statement of the basis for issuance of the visa or the failure to object. The report may be submitted in classified or unclassified form.

(b)Limitation

Information contained in such report may be classified to the extent necessary and shall protect intelligence sources and methods.

(c)Appropriate committees

For the purposes of this section the term “appropriate committees of the Congress” means the Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate.

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2002—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 107–228 designated existing provisions as par. (1), inserted par. (1) heading, and added par. (2).

§2723 Denial of Visas

Summary

Title 22, §2723

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

Citations & Metadata