The main purpose of this legislation is to prevent individuals from China from entering the United States as nonimmigrant students. This is framed as a measure to protect American academic institutions and intellectual property from potential espionage or influence by the Chinese government. The key provision of the legislation is a specific amendment to the Immigration and Nationality Act. It explicitly prohibits nationals of the People's Republic of China from obtaining visas to study in the U.S. as nonimmigrant students.