To prohibit the issuance of certain visas to nationals of the People’s Republic of China, and for other purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
The SECURE STEM Act of 2025 prohibits the issuance of work visas (H-1B, O-1), exchange visitor visas (J-1), and student visas (F, J, M) to nationals of China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and Cuba. It also bars national research laboratories from employing individuals from these countries who hold covered visas. The Secretaries of State and Homeland Security can jointly grant waivers for specific individuals if deemed in the national security interest.
Who Benefits and How
U.S. domestic STEM workers may benefit from reduced competition for jobs in technology, research, and academic positions. National security advocates gain a tool to limit potential technology transfer and espionage risks. Workers from non-restricted countries (India, Europe, etc.) may face less competition for H-1B and other specialty occupation visas.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Nationals of the five targeted countries face a near-complete bar from pursuing STEM education or employment in the United States, affecting hundreds of thousands of current and prospective students, researchers, and workers. U.S. universities lose a major source of tuition revenue from international students, particularly from China. Technology companies and national research laboratories face workforce shortages and higher recruitment costs. Federal agencies bear new reporting and compliance burdens.
Key Provisions
- Bars visa issuance for H-1B (specialty workers), O-1 (extraordinary ability), J-1 (exchange visitors), and F/J/M (students) to nationals of China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and Cuba
- Prohibits national research laboratories from employing affected individuals
- Allows case-by-case waivers if both Secretaries of State and Homeland Security determine it serves national security interests
- Requires biannual congressional reports on waivers granted, including justifications and biographical information
- Must be implemented within 90 days of enactment
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Prohibits issuance of certain employment and education visas (H-1B, O-1, J-1, F, M) to nationals of China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and Cuba, and bars their employment at national research laboratories.
Who Benefits
- U.S. domestic STEM workers
- U.S.-born researchers
- National security apparatus
Who Bears Costs
- Chinese nationals seeking STEM education or employment in U.S.
- Russian nationals seeking STEM education or employment in U.S.
- Iranian nationals seeking STEM education or employment in U.S.
Key Policy Areas
Immigration, National Security, Research & Development, Higher Education, STEM Workforce
Primary Purpose
Prohibits issuance of certain employment and education visas (H-1B, O-1, J-1, F, M) to nationals of China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and Cuba, and bars their employment at national research laboratories.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Protect national security and intellectual property by restricting STEM workforce immigration from adversarial nations"
Identified Gains
- U.S. domestic STEM workers
- U.S.-born researchers
- National security apparatus
- Universities and employers seeking to hire from non-restricted countries
Identified Costs
- Chinese nationals seeking STEM education or employment in U.S.
- Russian nationals seeking STEM education or employment in U.S.
- Iranian nationals seeking STEM education or employment in U.S.
- North Korean nationals seeking STEM education or employment in U.S.
- Cuban nationals seeking STEM education or employment in U.S.
- U.S. universities with international student programs
- National research laboratories with existing foreign staff
- Tech companies relying on H-1B workers from affected countries
- Academic institutions dependent on foreign researchers
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Harrigan (for himself and Mr. Moolenaar) introduced the following …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Chinese nationals seeking STEM visas or employment, Cuban nationals seeking STEM visas or employment, Iranian nationals seeking STEM visas or employment
Positive-direction: U.S. domestic STEM workers
Negative-direction: Chinese nationals seeking STEM visas or employment, Cuban nationals seeking STEM visas or employment, Iranian nationals seeking STEM visas or employment, North Korean nationals seeking STEM visas or employment, Russian nationals seeking STEM visas or employment
Congressional oversight committees, Department of Homeland Security, Department of State
Positive-direction: Congressional oversight committees
Negative-direction: Department of Homeland Security, Department of State
National research laboratories (DOE labs, etc.)
Technology companies relying on H-1B workers from affected countries
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary_of_state"
- → Secretary of State
- "the_secretary_of_homeland_security"
- → Secretary of Homeland Security
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
Nonimmigrant visas under INA sections: H-1B (specialty occupations), O-1 (extraordinary ability), J-1 (exchange visitors), and F/J/M (student visas)
An alien who is a national of: People's Republic of China, Russian Federation, Islamic Republic of Iran, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or Republic of Cuba
A Federal laboratory as defined in section 4 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3703)
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology