# Plain Language Summary: Visa Integrity Act of 2024

This bill makes it a crime to overstay your visa in the United States. Currently, overstaying a visa is mainly a civil violation that can result in fines and deportation, but this bill adds criminal penalties on top of that. If you're admitted to the U.S. on a temporary visa (like a tourist, student, or work visa) and stay past your authorized departure date for 10 days or longer, you could face criminal charges. For a first offense, you could be fined and imprisoned for up to six months. If you overstay again or have a previous immigration conviction, the penalties increase to up to two years in prison plus fines. The bill also increases civil fines from $50-$250 to $500-$1,000 for each violation, and repeat offenders could face double that amount.

The bill includes some exceptions for people who overstay due to medical emergencies, public safety concerns, or national security reasons—the Department of Homeland Security can waive penalties on a case-by-case basis. Additionally, the government must notify people when they apply for a visa or enter the country about these new criminal penalties. The bill also requires the U.S. government to work with Mexico to share information about people who violate immigration laws and to create a coordinated entry and exit system at the land border so both countries know when someone crosses.

This change would primarily affect millions of people who overstay their visas each year—currently a significant portion of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. came through legal ports of entry but simply didn't leave when required. The new criminal penalties make overstaying much more serious, potentially affecting people's ability to return to the U.S. in the future and creating a criminal record that could impact employment and other opportunities.