Visa Overstay Penalties Act of 2025

The Visa Overstay Penalties Act of 2025 would significantly tighten penalties for two sets of immigration violations under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). First, it expands penalties for illegal entry, including a new enhancement for individuals who have prior violations. Second, it creates and broadens penalties for visa overstays by nonimmigrants (people admitted on temporary visas) with a new subsection (e) that defines visa overstays as failing to maintain status or to comply with the conditions of that status for a total of at least 10 days. For overstays, the bill imposes both criminal penalties (fines and possible imprisonment) and civil penalties (per-violation fines), with higher penalties for repeat violations or prior civil penalties. The combined effect would be to raise financial and criminal risk for those who enter illegally or remain beyond their authorized periods, and to escalate enforcement against visa overstays.