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“INTRODUCTION OF H.R. 2448” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H5353-H5354 on July 12, 1999.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
INTRODUCTION OF H.R. 2448
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Gibbons). Under a previous order of the House, the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Mrs. Mink) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mrs. MINK of Hawaii. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce H.R. 2448, a bill to restore fairness to our immigration system. Family reunification is a fundamental principle of U.S. immigration law. Another key principle gives American citizens priority over non-
citizens when they seek to bring their relatives here.
Most of the time, Americans get their petitions handled first.
But an aberration arises when Americans seek to bring their unmarried sons and daughters here from the Philippines. In this case, U.S. citizens wait several years longer than legal residents.
The Department of State reports that such U.S. citizen petitions are backlogged to October 1, 1987, while legal resident petitions are backlogged only to August 1, 1992, a difference of five years. The law was never designed to make citizens wait longer than legal residents, and we must correct this problem.
Mr. Speaker, I would like my colleagues to imagine how devastating it is to achieve American citizenship, only to find that this move significantly postponses your own child's visa. It is a heartbreaking task to have to inform constituents of this sad fact.
My bill fixes this irregularity. Simply put, it ensures that a legal resident who files for a son or daughter to immigrate will not have to wait longer for his children to arrive after he gains U.S. citizenship.
U.S. citizenship is a great honor. By passing H.R. 2448, we can ensure that it remains a great privilege as well. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
H.R. 2448
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. PREVENTING IMMIGRANTS FROM WAITING LONGER FOR
IMMIGRANT VISAS AS A RESULT OF RECLASSIFICATION
FROM FAMILY SECOND PREFERENCE TO FAMILY FIRST
PREFERENCE.
(a) In General.--Section 203 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1153) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
``(h) Assuring Immigrants Do Not Have to Wait Longer for an Immigrant Visa as a Result of Reclassification from Family Second Preference to Family First Preference.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in the case of a petition that has been approved to accord preference status under subsection (a)(2)(A) may be deemed to provide continued entitlement to status under that subsection in the case of any alien petitioner who is subsequently naturalized as a United States citizen, if a visa is not immediately available to the beneficiary under subsection
(a)(1).''.
(b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) takes effect on the date of the enactment of this Act and applies to petitions filed before, on, or after such date, without regard to when an alien petitioner was naturalized as a citizen of the United States.
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