Security Verification for Refugees Act

Background investigation— In addition to the screening conducted by the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation shall take all actions necessary to ensure that each covered alien receives a thorough background investigation prior to admission as a refugee. A covered alien may not be admitted as a refugee until the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation certifies to the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Director of National Intelligence that each covered alien has received a background investigation that is sufficient to determine whether the covered alien is a threat to the security of the United States.

Certification by unanimous concurrence— A covered alien may only be admitted to the United States after the Secretary of Homeland Security, with the unanimous concurrence of the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Director of National Intelligence, certifies to the appropriate Congressional Committees that the covered alien is not a threat to the security of the United States.

Inspector general review of certifications— The Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security shall conduct a risk-based review of all certifications made under subsection (b) each year and shall provide an annual report detailing the findings to the appropriate Congressional Committees.

Monthly report— The Secretary of Homeland Security shall submit to the appropriate Congressional Committees a monthly report on the total number of applications for admission with regard to which a certification under subsection (b) was made and the number of covered aliens with regard to whom such a certification was not made for the month preceding the date of the report. The report shall include, for each covered alien with regard to whom a certification was not made, the concurrence or nonconcurrence of each person whose concurrence was required by subsection (b).

Definitions— In this Act:

A list of each country, a national or resident of which submitted an application for admission to the United States as a refugee under section 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1157) during the year preceding the report.

For each country listed under paragraph (1), an evaluation of the threat to the security of the United States posed by aliens who are nationals or residents of each such country, and a designation of each such country as high-risk, medium-risk, or low-risk.

For each country listed under paragraph (1), the number of applications for admission as a refugee to the United States during the year preceding the report.

For each country listed under paragraph (1), the number of aliens who were admitted to the United States as refugees during the year preceding the report.

Beginning with the second report submitted under this section, in the case of a country for which the designation under paragraph (2) changed from the designation of that country in the preceding year’s report, an explanation of the reason for the change.

To the extent practicable, and without jeopardizing intelligence sources or methods, a description of the following: