Skip to main content
S 1451 116th Congress Senate Immigration Asia Australia Canada China Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroad Europe Foreign labor Government information and archives Immigration status and procedures New Zealand Oceania Research administration and funding United Kingdom Visas and passports

People's Liberation Army (PLA) Visa Security Act

Introduced: May 14, 2019 Introduced by: Cotton, Tom Republican · Arkansas See on congress.gov
This bill died when the 116th Congress ended
It never became law before the 116th Congress (2019–2020) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
May 14, 2019
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
May 14, 2019
Introduced in Senate
 Ask about this bill AI · grounded in the bill text

Have a question about what this bill does? Ask in plain English; the answer is drawn from the bill's actual text and official record, and it'll tell you when something isn't in the text rather than guess.

AI answers can be imperfect; always confirm against the full bill text.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

People's Liberation Army (PLA) Visa Security Act

This bill bars individuals affiliated with the Chinese military from entering the United States on visas for students (F visa) or work-and-study exchange (J visa).

The President shall publish a list identifying research, engineering, and scientific institutions affiliated or funded by China's People's Liberation Army. Aliens who are or were previously employed, sponsored, or funded by any institution on the list shall be subject to the bar.

When a Chinese national applies for an F or J visa for an academic field related to an item on the Commerce Control List (a list of items subject to export controls), the consular officer handling the application shall request a special background check on the applicant.

What's happening now May 14, 2019

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

 Related & companion bills 1
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 1451: People's Liberation Army (PLA) Visa Security Act. 116th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-1451/
MLA
"S. 1451: People's Liberation Army (PLA) Visa Security Act." 116th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-1451/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 1451, 116th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-1451/.
Markdown link
[S. 1451: People's Liberation Army (PLA) Visa Security Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-1451/)
Report a problem