22 U.S.C. § 8771

(a) In general The Secretary of State shall deny a visa to, and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall exclude from the United States, any alien who is a citizen of Iran that the Secretary of State determines seeks to enter the United States to participate in coursework at an institution of higher education (as defined in section 1001(a) of title 20 ) to prepare the alien for a career in the energy sector of Iran or in nuclear science or nuclear engineering or a related field in Iran. (b) Applicability Subsection (a) applies with respect to visa applications filed on or after August 10, 2012 .