Visa Investigation and Social Media Activity Act of 2017 or the VISA Act of 2017
This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit a petition or application filed with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or with a consular officer for the issuance of a visa or the admission of an alien from being approved unless a background check to determine whether the alien is a national security threat or is otherwise ineligible for such visa or admission is completed for: (1) the petitioner or applicant, and (2) each beneficiary or derivative of the petition or application.
Such background check shall include a review of the alien's publicly available interactions on, and posting of material to, the Internet (including social media services).
An applicant must provide an English translation of his or her documentation.
No petition or application for any immigration benefit, except for work authorization, may be approved for an alien who is at least 11 years old unless DHS conducts an in-person interview with such alien.
DHS shall begin implementation of an analytics software plan to detect fraud in immigration benefits applications and petitions and to ensure that an applicant or petitioner does not pose a national security threat.
The bill requires the deployment of DHS employees to all visa-issuing embassies and consulates.