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Iraqi and Afghan Special Immigrant Visa Programs [Updated June 21, 2021]
From the Introduction: "This report analyzes the SIV [special immigrant visa] classifications for Iraqis and Afghans within the context of both the larger INA [Immigration and Nationality Act] special immigrant category and selected other permanent admissions categories. It discusses the legislative changes to the individual Iraqi and Afghan special immigrant programs since their initial authorization, provides statistics on visa issuances, and considers challenges the programs have faced."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Bruno, Andorra
2021-06-21
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FY2021 Refugee Ceiling Increase [May 11, 2021]
From the Document: "On May 3, 2021, President Joe Biden issued an emergency presidential determination (PD) [hyperlink] to raise the FY2021 refugee ceiling to 62,500. It followed an earlier emergency PD on FY2021 refugee admissions signed by President Biden on April 16, 2021. The first emergency PD [hyperlink] revised the allocations in the original FY2021 PD [hyperlink] issued by President Donald Trump, but left the refugee ceiling unchanged at 15,000. The refugee provisions in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA §207 [hyperlink]) authorize the President, after consulting with members of the House Judiciary Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee, to issue a PD before the beginning of the fiscal year. In the PD, the President sets the refugee ceiling for the year and allocates that ceiling among refugees of special humanitarian concern to the United States. INA Section 207(b) further allows the President, after congressional consultation, to issue an emergency determination in the middle of a fiscal year in the event of 'an unforeseen refugee emergency situation.'"
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Bruno, Andorra
2021-05-11
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U.S. Refugee Admissions in FY2021 [April 27, 2021]
From the Document: "On April 16, 2021, President Joe Biden issued an emergency presidential determination [hyperlink] (PD) on FY2021 refugee admissions. The emergency PD revised the allocations in the original FY2021 PD [hyperlink] issued by President Donald Trump in October 2020. The new PD left the earlier one's refugee ceiling of 15,000 unchanged. The refugee provisions in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA §207 [hyperlink]) authorize the President, after consulting with members of the House Judiciary Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee, to issue a PD before the beginning of the fiscal year. In the PD, the President sets the refugee ceiling for the year and allocates that ceiling among refugees of special humanitarian concern to the United States. INA Section 207(b) further allows the President, after congressional consultation, to issue an emergency determination in the middle of a fiscal year in the event of 'an unforeseen refugee emergency situation.'"
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Bruno, Andorra
2021-04-27
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Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA): By the Numbers [April 14, 2021]
From the Document: "On January 20, 2021, his first day in office, President Joe Biden issued a memorandum to the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Attorney General on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative. The presidential memorandum directed the DHS Secretary, in consultation with the Attorney General, to 'take all actions he deems appropriate, consistent with applicable law, to preserve and fortify DACA.' [...] To help inform possible legislative activity related to DACA and Dreamers, this report considers available data on the DACA population from DHS and other sources. An initial background section provides a brief history of DACA and its current status. Three categories of data are then presented and discussed: (1) data on the DACA-eligible population, (2) data on DACA applications, and (3) data on DACA recipients. Finally, the report addresses the issue of unauthorized immigrants and LPR status, focusing in particular on DACA recipients and related data."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Bruno, Andorra
2021-04-14
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FY2021 Refugee Ceiling and Allocations [November 3, 2020]
From the Document: "On October 28, 2020, President Donald Trump issued the Presidential Determination setting the FY2021 refugee ceiling at 15,000. The refugee ceiling is the maximum number of refugees that can be admitted to the United States in a given fiscal year. The Presidential Determination is typically issued before the start, or in the first week, of a new fiscal year. Refugees cannot be admitted to the United States until the Presidential Determination for that fiscal year has been issued. From October 1, 2020, until the issuance of the FY2021 Presidential Determination, no refugees could be admitted to the United States. The FY2021 refugee ceiling is the lowest in the 40-year history of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP)."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Bruno, Andorra
2020-11-03
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Immigration Parole [October 15, 2020]
From the Summary: "The parole provision in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) gives the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) discretionary authority to 'parole into the United States temporarily under such conditions as he may prescribe only on a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit any alien applying for admission to the United States.' Immigration parole is official permission to enter and remain temporarily in the United States. It does not constitute formal admission under the U.S. immigration system. An individual granted parole (a parolee) is still considered an applicant for admission. A parolee is permitted to remain in the United States for the duration of the grant of parole, and may be granted work authorization. The DHS Secretary's parole authority has been delegated to three agencies within the department: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Parole can be requested by foreign nationals inside or outside the United States in a range of circumstances. Major parole categories include port-of-entry parole, advance parole, humanitarian parole, and parole-in-place."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Bruno, Andorra
2020-10-15
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Immigration Legislation and Issues in the 116th Congress [Updated July 27, 2020]
From the Summary: "The House and the Senate have considered measures on a variety of immigration issues in the 116th Congress. These issues include border security, immigration enforcement, legalization of unauthorized immigrants, temporary and permanent immigration, and humanitarian admissions. [...] This report discusses these and other immigration-related issues that have seen legislativeaction in the 116th Congress."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Bruno, Andorra; Kandel, William; Kolker, Abigail F. . . .
2020-07-27
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Unauthorized Childhood Arrivals, DACA, and Related Legislation [Updated June 30, 2020]
From the Introduction: "On June 4, 2019, the House passed the American Dream and Promise Act of 2019 (H.R. 6) on a vote of 237 to 187. Title I of the bill, the Dream Act of 2019, would establish a process for certain unauthorized immigrants who entered the United States as children (known as unauthorized childhood arrivals) to obtain lawful permanent immigration status. This vote on H.R. 6 was one of several House and Senate floor votes since 2018--and the only successful one--on legislation to grant some type of immigration relief to unauthorized childhood arrivals. As commonly used, the term 'unauthorized childhood arrivals' encompasses both individuals who entered the United States unlawfully and individuals who entered legally but then lost legal status, by, for example, overstaying an authorized temporary period of stay. There is no single set of requirements that defines an unauthorized childhood arrival. Individual bills include their own criteria. This report considers House and Senate measures on unauthorized childhood arrivals that have seen legislative action since 2001, focusing in particular on legislation considered in the 115th and 116th Congresses. It also discusses the related Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative and DACA-related data. For the most part, the material is presented chronologically to trace the development of legislative proposals on unauthorized childhood arrivals and highlight the interplay between legislative action on these measures and developments related to the DACA initiative."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Bruno, Andorra
2020-06-30
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Immigration Legislation and Issues in the 116th Congress [Updated June 19, 2020]
From the Summary: "The House and the Senate have considered measures on a variety of immigration issues in the 116th Congress. These issues include border security, immigration enforcement, legalization of unauthorized immigrants, temporary and permanent immigration, and humanitarian admissions. Several immigration measures were enacted into law. Among them are the Northern Mariana Islands Long-Term Legal Residents Relief Act (P.L. 116-24) and the Citizenship for Children of Military Members and Civil Servants Act (P.L. 116-133). The 116th Congress also enacted immigration provisions as part of larger defense and appropriations bills. [...] This report discusses these and other immigration-related issues that have seen legislative action in the 116th Congress."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Bruno, Andorra; Kandel, William; Wilson, Jill, 1974-
2020-06-19
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Immigration Legislation and Issues in the 116th Congress [June 12, 2020]
From the Introduction: "The 116th Congress has seen considerable committee and floor action on immigration legislation, particularly in the House. The House and/or the Senate have acted on bills addressing a range of immigration issue areas, including border security, immigration enforcement, legalization of unauthorized immigrants, temporary and permanent immigration, and humanitarian admissions. Some of these bills include amendments to the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), the basis of U.S. immigration law. Several immigration provisions were enacted as part of larger appropriations and defense authorization bills. These provisions variously address the H-2B [Temporary Non-Agricultural Workers] visa, U.S. refugee admissions, Afghan special immigrant visas, and the immigration status of Liberians who are long-time U.S. residents, among other issues. Through FY2019 and FY2020 consolidated appropriations measures, the 116th Congress extended the EB-5 [Employment Based Immigration- Fifth Preference] Regional Center Program for immigrant investors, the E-Verify employment eligibility verification system, and two other immigration programs, all of which are now authorized through September 30, 2020. The 116th Congress also enacted stand-alone measures concerning immigration in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and citizenship for children born abroad to parents who are U.S. military servicemembers or U.S. government employees. This report discusses these and other immigration-related measures that have received legislative action in the 116th Congress."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Bruno, Andorra; Kandel, William; Wilson, Jill, 1974-
2020-06-12
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H-2A and H-2B Temporary Worker Visas: Policy and Related Issues [Updated June 9, 2020]
From the Summary: "Certain foreign workers, sometimes referred to as guest workers, may be admitted to the United States to perform temporary labor under two temporary worker visas: the H-2A visa for agricultural workers and the H-2B visa for nonagricultural workers. The H-2A visa is not subject to any numerical limitations, while the H-2B visa is subject to a statutory annual cap of 66,000. H-2A and H-2B workers fill jobs that do not require much formal education. H-2A workers perform seasonal or temporary agricultural labor. They also engage in range herding and livestock production. H-2B workers perform temporary jobs in a variety of fields including landscaping, meat and seafood processing, and construction. The H-2A and H-2B programs are administered by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Labor (DOL). These agencies and the Department of State (DOS) have made adjustments, and in the case of DHS issued H-2A and H-2B temporary final rules, related to guest worker visas in response to the coronavirus pandemic."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Bruno, Andorra
2020-06-09
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Iraqi and Afghan Special Immigrant Visa Programs [Updated April 2, 2020]
From the Summary: "Congress has enacted a series of legislative provisions since 2006 to enable certain Iraqi and Afghan nationals to become U.S. lawful permanent residents (LPRs). These provisions make certain Iraqis and Afghans who worked as translators or interpreters, or who were employed by, or on behalf of, the U.S. government in Iraq or Afghanistan, eligible for 'special immigrant' visas (SIVs). Special immigrants comprise a category of permanent employment-based admissions under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). While the special immigrant category is unique, it does bear some similarities to other admission categories that are authorized by other sections of the INA, including refugees and Amerasian children."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Bruno, Andorra
2020-04-02
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FY2020 Refugee Ceiling and Allocations [November 7, 2019]
From the Document: "On November 1, 2019, President Donald Trump issued a Presidential Determination setting the FY2020 refugee ceiling at 18,000. The refugee ceiling is the maximum number of refugees that can be admitted to the United States in a fiscal year. From the start of FY2020 until the signing of the Presidential Determination, no refugees could be admitted to the United States. The FY2020 refugee ceiling of 18,000 is the lowest in the history of the U.S. refugee admissions program. The Trump Administration has reduced the refugee ceiling each year, setting it at 45,000 for FY2018 and 30,000 for FY2019. These ceilings are much lower than in previous years. Actual refugee admissions in FY2019 totaled 30,000"
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Bruno, Andorra
2019-11-07
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Unauthorized Childhood Arrivals, DACA, and Related Legislation [November 6, 2019]
From the Introduction: "This report considers House and Senate measures on unauthorized childhood arrivals that have seen legislative action since 2001, focusing in particular on legislation considered in the 115th and 116th Congresses. It also discusses the related Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative and DACA-related data. The material is presented chronologically to trace the development of legislative proposals on unauthorized childhood arrivals and highlight the interplay between legislative action on these measures and developments related to the DACA initiative."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Bruno, Andorra
2019-11-06
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H-2B Visa and the Statutory Cap: In Brief [Updated May 14, 2019]
From the Introduction: "FY2019 is the fourth year in a row that Congress has enacted a special provision to allow for the issuance of H-2B [non-agricultural] visas beyond the annual statutory cap of 66,000 in response to high levels of demand for the visa. For FY2016, Congress exempted certain H-2B workers from the statutory cap. For the three past fiscal years, Congress has authorized the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to make additional H-2B visas available subject to certain conditions. For FY2017 and FY2018, DHS used this authority to make an additional 15,000 H-2B visas available each year. For FY2019, DHS is making an additional 30,000 H-2B visas available."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Bruno, Andorra
2019-05-14
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Iraqi and Afghan Special Immigrant Visa Programs [Updated March 29, 2019]
From the Document: "Congress has enacted a series of legislative provisions since 2006 to enable certain Iraqi and Afghan nationals to become U.S. lawful permanent residents (LPRs). These provisions make certain Iraqis and Afghans who worked as translators or interpreters, or who were employed by, or on behalf of, the U.S. government in Iraq or Afghanistan, eligible for 'special immigrant' visas (SIVs). Special immigrants comprise a category of permanent employment-based admissions under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). While the special immigrant category is unique, it does bear some similarities to other admission categories that are authorized by other sections of the INA, including refugees and Amerasian children."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Bruno, Andorra
2019-03-29
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Immigration: U.S. Asylum Policy [February 19, 2019]
"Asylum is a complex area of immigration law and policy. While much of the recent debate surrounding asylum has focused on efforts by the Trump Administration to address asylum seekers arriving at the U.S. southern border, U.S. asylum policies have long been a subject of discussion. The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) of 1952, as originally enacted, did not contain any language on asylum. Asylum provisions were added and then revised by a series of subsequent laws. Currently, the INA provides for the granting of asylum to an alien who applies for such relief in accordance with applicable requirements and is determined to be a refugee. The INA defines a refugee, in general, as a person who is outside his or her country of nationality and is unable or unwilling to return to that country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Bruno, Andorra
2019-02-19
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Recent Migration to the United States from Central America: Frequently Asked Questions [Updated January 29, 2019]
From the Document: "Over the last decade, migration to the United States from Central America--in particular from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras (known collectively as the Northern Triangle)--has increased considerably. Families migrating from this region, many seeking asylum, have made up an increasing share of the migrants seeking admission to the United States at the U.S.-Mexico border. In the past year, news reports of migrant 'caravans' from the Northern Triangle traveling toward the United States have sparked intense interest and questions from Congress."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Wilson, Jill, 1974-; Bruno, Andorra; Elsea, Jennifer K. . . .
2019-01-29
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Presidential Proclamation on Unlawful Border Crossers and Asylum [Updated November 13, 2018]
From the Document: "On November 9, 2018, President Donald Trump issued a presidential proclamation to immediately suspend the entry of foreign nationals (aliens) who cross into the United States at the U.S.-Mexico border without inspection. The pronouncement further references that those who enter in contravention of the suspension will be ineligible for asylum under an interim final rule issued jointly by the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice on that same date. The proclamation and the rule are being challenged in federal court. In the words of the proclamation, its issuance was prompted by the anticipated arrival at the U.S. Southwest border of 'a substantial number of aliens primarily from Central America who appear to have no lawful basis for admission.' According to the proclamation, such migration 'has precipitated a crisis and undermines the integrity of our borders' and requires 'immediate action to protect the national interest, and to maintain the effectiveness of the asylum system.' The need to conduct foreign affairs effectively is another reason offered for the proclamation. Citing both constitutional and statutory authority, the President finds that the entry of aliens at the Southwest border without inspection 'would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, and that their entry should be subject to certain restrictions, limitations, and exceptions.'"
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Bruno, Andorra
2018-11-13
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H-2B Visa and the Statutory Cap: In Brief [April 17, 2018]
"The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) of 1952, as amended, enumerates categories of aliens, known as nonimmigrants, who are admitted to the United States for a temporary period of time and a specific purpose. One of these nonimmigrant visa categories--known as the H-2B visa--is for temporary nonagricultural workers. The H-2B visa allows for the temporary admission of foreign workers to the United States to perform nonagricultural labor or services of a temporary nature if unemployed U.S. workers are not available. Common H-2B occupations include landscape laborer, amusement park worker, and housekeeper. The H-2B program is administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS's) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL's) Employment and Training Administration. DOL's Wage and Hour Division also has certain concurrent enforcement responsibilities. The H-2B program currently operates under regulations issued by DHS in 2008 on H-2B requirements, by DHS and DOL jointly in 2015 on H-2B employment, and by DHS and DOL jointly in 2015 on H-2B wages."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Bruno, Andorra
2018-04-17
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Unauthorized Childhood Arrivals: Legislative Activity in the 115th Congress [March 22, 2018]
"Unauthorized childhood arrivals is a general term used to describe foreign nationals who as children were brought to live in the United States by their parents or other adults. Sometimes referred to as Dreamers, they represent a subset of the larger unauthorized alien population in the United States. Many observers view them more sympathetically than other unauthorized aliens because they do not consider them responsible for their unlawful status, and they support establishing a process for them to obtain legal immigration status. Others, however, argue that unauthorized childhood arrivals should not be afforded any special treatment under the immigration system."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Bruno, Andorra
2018-03-22
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Iraqi and Afghan Special Immigrant Visa Programs [December 12, 2017]
"Congress has enacted a series of legislative provisions since 2006 to enable certain Iraqi and Afghan nationals to become U.S. lawful permanent residents (LPRs). These provisions make certain Iraqis and Afghans who have worked as translators or interpreters, or who were employed by, or on behalf of, the U.S. government in Iraq or Afghanistan, eligible for special immigrant visas (SIVs). Special immigrants comprise a category of permanent employment-based admissions under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). While the special immigrant category is unique, it does bear some similarities to other admission categories that are authorized by other sections of the INA, including refugees and Amerasian children."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Bruno, Andorra
2017-12-12
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Refugee Admissions and Resettlement Policy [November 7, 2017]
"Typically, the annual number of refugees that can be admitted into the United States, known as the refugee ceiling, and the allocation of these numbers by region are set by the President after consultation with Congress at the start of each fiscal year. For FY2018, the worldwide refugee ceiling is 45,000. The FY2018 regional allocations are, as follows: Africa (19,000), East Asia (5,000), Europe and Central Asia (2,000), Latin America/Caribbean (1,500), and Near East/South Asia (17,500). Refugee admissions in FY2017 totaled 53,716. On October 24, 2017, a 120-day suspension of the refugee admissions program put in place by President Donald Trump expired. The same day, President Trump issued an executive order that provided for the resumption of the refugee program subject to certain conditions. The executive order referenced 'special measures' that would be applied to refugees whose entry poses potential threats to the United States."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Bruno, Andorra
2017-11-07
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Unauthorized Childhood Arrivals: Legislative Options [September 14, 2017]
"In 2012, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) began granting deferred action through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to certain individuals without lawful immigration status who had arrived in the United States as children and met other requirements. The requirements included initial entry into the United States before age 16, continuous U.S. residence since June 15, 2007, and being under age 31 as of June 15, 2012. Deferred action provides protection against removal from the United States. Individuals granted deferred action also may receive work authorization. Initial grants of deferred action under DACA were for two years and could be renewed in two-year increments. As of March 31, 2017, DHS had approved 787,580 initial requests for DACA from applicants residing in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and several U.S. territories"
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Bruno, Andorra
2017-09-14
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Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA): Frequently Asked Questions [September 06, 2017]
"On September 5, 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), an Obama Administration initiative, was being rescinded. A related memorandum released by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that same day rescinded the 2012 memorandum that established the DACA process. DACA was created to provide temporary relief from removal from the United States for individuals without a lawful immigration status who were brought to the United States as children and met other criteria. Under the DACA process, both initial grants of deferred action and renewals are issued for a period of two years. In addition to rescinding the 2012 DACA memorandum, the September 2017 memorandum states that DHS will 'execute a wind-down' of DACA, during which it will 'adjudicate certain requests for DACA and associated applications meeting certain parameters.' These requests include initial and renewal requests for DACA accepted by DHS by September 5, 2017, and renewal requests from current DACA beneficiaries whose benefits will expire between September 5, 2017, and March 5, 2018, and whose renewal requests are accepted by DHS by October 5, 2017. The memorandum also states that DHS will not terminate previously issued grants of deferred action or employment authorization 'solely based on the directives in this memorandum.'"
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Bruno, Andorra
2017-09-06
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Reception and Placement of Refugees in the United States [June 21, 2017]
"The U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), which is managed by the Department of State (DOS), resettles refugees from around the world in the United States. Once a refugee case is approved for U.S. resettlement, the USRAP determines where in the country the refugee(s) will be resettled. This determination is made through DOS's Reception and Placement Program (R&P), which provides initial resettlement services to arriving refugees. R&P initial resettlement assistance is separate from longer-term resettlement assistance provided through the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). Each year, DOS's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) requests proposals from public and private nonprofit organizations that are interested in providing services and assistance to refugees under the R&P Program. […] The R&P Program is subject to a set of statutory requirements. Regarding the placement process, the ORR director and the agency administering the R&P Program are required to consult regularly with state and local governments and resettlement agencies about the intended distribution of refugees among the states and localities. The agency administering the R&P Program is further required to consider the recommendations of the state in determining where to place refugees within a state. As of May 31, 2017, in FY2017, refugee arrivals have been placed in the District of Columbia and every state except Wyoming. In FY2016, the only states with no refugee placements were Delaware and Hawaii."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Bruno, Andorra
2017-06-21
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DACA and DAPA Deferred Action Initiatives: Frequently Asked Questions [February 15, 2017]
"The future of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and the proposed Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) program, two Obama Administration initiatives, is uncertain under President Donald Trump. As of the date of this report, the Trump Administration has not taken action on these initiatives. The DACA program was established in June 2012, when the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that certain individuals without a lawful immigration status who were brought to the United States as children and met other criteria would be considered for relief from removal for two years. To request consideration of DACA, an individual must file specified forms with DHS's U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and pay associated fees. As of the date of this report, the DACA program is ongoing. USCIS's decision on a DACA request is discretionary. The agency makes determinations on a case-by-case basis. Individuals granted DACA may receive employment authorization. DACA recipients are not granted a lawful immigration status and are not put on a pathway to a lawful immigration status. They are, however, considered to be lawfully present in the United States during the period of deferred action. [...] The separate DAPA program was proposed by the Obama Administration in November 2014 to provide temporary relief from removal for certain parents of U.S. citizen or LPR [lawful permanent resident] children. Its implementation was blocked in the federal courts. It remains to be seen how this litigation may be affected by the change in administration."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Bruno, Andorra
2017-02-15
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Iraqi and Afghan Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) [February 8, 2017]
"The SIV [special immigrant vias] programs, in their current forms, are the product of a series of legislative provisions enacted since 2006. These provisions make certain Iraqis and Afghans who have worked as translators or interpreters, or who were employed by, or on behalf of, the U.S. government in Iraq or Afghanistan, eligible for special immigrant visas (SIVs). Special immigrants comprise a category of permanent employment-based admissions under the Immigration and Nationality Act. Upon admission to the United States, special immigrant visa holders become LPRs [lawful permanent residents]. (The SIV programs are separate from the U.S. refugee admissions program.)"
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Bruno, Andorra
2017-02-08
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U.S. Policy on Cuban Migrants: In Brief [December 16, 2016]
"'Normal' immigration from Cuba to the United States has not existed since the Cuban Revolution of 1959 brought Fidel Castro to power. For more than 50 years, the majority of Cubans who have entered the United States have done so through special humanitarian provisions of federal law. U.S. policy on Cuban migration has been shaped by a 1966 law known as the Cuban Adjustment Act, as amended, and U.S.-Cuban migration agreements signed in the mid-1990s, operating in conjunction with the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). [...] In addition to entering the United States under special policies and becoming LPRs [lawful permanent residents] through the Cuban Adjustment Act, Cubans can gain permanent admission to the United States through certain standard immigration pathways set forth in the INA. [...] Special provisions of law also make Cuban migrants in the United States eligible for federal assistance. [...] The steps taken by the Obama Administration to normalize relations with Cuba have raised questions about the possibility of future changes to U.S. policy toward Cuban migrants through either executive or congressional action. Regarding the latter, legislation was introduced in the 114th Congress to repeal the Cuban Adjustment Act and eliminate the special treatment that Cuban entrants receive with respect to federal refugee resettlement assistance and other federal assistance. It remains to be seen whether Congress will act on any such measures."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Bruno, Andorra
2016-12-16
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Refugee Admissions and Resettlement Policy [November 30, 2016]
"A refugee is a person fleeing his or her country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Typically, the annual number of refugees that can be admitted into the United States, known as the refugee ceiling, and the allocation of these numbers by region are set by the President after consultation with Congress at the start of each fiscal year. [...] Special legislative provisions make it easier for members of certain groups to obtain refugee status. The 'Lautenberg Amendment,' which was first enacted in 1989, allows certain former Soviet and Indochinese nationals to qualify for refugee status based on their membership in a protected category with a credible fear of persecution. In 2004, Congress amended the Lautenberg Amendment to add the 'Specter Amendment,' which requires the designation of categories of Iranian religious minorities whose cases are to be adjudicated under the Lautenberg Amendment's reduced evidentiary standard. The Lautenberg Amendment, as amended by the Specter Amendment, has been regularly extended."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Bruno, Andorra
2016-11-30
