H.R. 8635 — VERIFY Act of 2026

This section modernizes the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program to improve the accuracy, timeliness, and reliability of immigration status verifications for eligibility determinations. It directs the Secretary of Homeland Security, acting through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, to upgrade query processing infrastructure, implement automated data reconciliation, expand API access for authorized agencies, and establish a user feedback mechanism for reporting data errors. The section requires that changes to an individual’s immigration status—including grants, extensions, expirations, revocations, or terminations—be reflected in SAVE no later than 24 hours after recording in the originating system. It further mandates integration of SAVE with relevant Department of Homeland Security systems, updated memoranda of understanding with the Social Security Administration and other federal agencies for data sharing, and voluntary agreements with state vital records agencies, all subject to the Privacy Act of 1974, the E-Government Act of 2002, the Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 1988, and other applicable federal law. The section also requires post-verification alerts to querying agencies when an individual’s status materially changes after an initial verification, limits SAVE data to eligibility purposes only, prohibits expansion to non-immigration criminal history databases or general law enforcement use, and authorizes automated tools solely for data reconciliation and identity matching provided that no adverse determination relies solely on automation, human review occurs for contested or negative results, and the Secretary conducts annual accuracy and bias testing with summary results submitted to Congress.

This section establishes oversight and modernization requirements for the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program by directing the Secretary of Homeland Security to submit to Congress, not later than 180 days after enactment, a plan describing technological upgrades, user training improvements, and performance metrics on accuracy and response time (including error rates and average query completion time). It requires the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General to conduct annual audits of the program’s accuracy, timeliness, and compliance and to submit reports to Congress. It further requires the Secretary to submit a corrective action plan to Congress within 90 days of any material non-compliance identified by the Inspector General, with continued non-compliance potentially resulting in congressional limitations on funds for non-SAVE activities or suspension of SAVE queries until compliance is restored.

This section defines the SAVE program, for purposes of the Act, as the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements program established pursuant to section 121 of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.