This bill adds a new immigration classification to allow certain people who entered the United States as children to become lawful permanent residents (green card holders). To qualify, a person must: not be inadmissible or deportable; have been lawfully present as a dependent child of a nonimmigrant admitted to work in the United States (excluding certain nonimmigrant categories) for at least 8 years; have been lawfully present in the United States for at least 10 years by the date of application; and have graduated from a U.S. institution of higher education. The bill lets eligible people file a petition with the Secretary of Homeland Security and creates related immigration rules on age determination and priority dates.
The bill also changes how "child" status is calculated for immigration purposes, including using the earlier of the petition filing date or a labor certification filing date to determine age for visa categories. It provides a special age rule for people who were dependents for at least 8 years before turning 21, and allows motions to reopen or reconsider certain past denials (if filed within 2 years). The bill updates rules so dependent children can keep status and, in some cases, change or extend dependent status even if married, and it authorizes employment incident to that dependent status. Finally, it revises priority-date rules so principal and derivative beneficiaries retain the earliest priority date from approved petitions or labor certifications.
No publicly available information.
The sponsors introduced the bill to authorize lawful permanent resident status for certain college graduates who entered as children and to add age-out protections, priority-date retention, and related status and employment rules for long-term dependent children.
No publicly available information.