I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4873 
To provide for special immigrant status for Syrian Kurds and other Syrians 
who partnered with the United States Government in Syria, and for 
other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 28, 2019 
Mr. CROW (for himself, Mr. WALTZ, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mr. BACON, Mr. BLU-
MENAUER and Mr. MOULTON) introduced the following bill; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Com-
mittee on Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by 
the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall with-
in the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To provide for special immigrant status for Syrian Kurds 
and other Syrians who partnered with the United States 
Government in Syria, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Syrian Partner Protec-
tion Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. SPECIAL IMMIGRANT STATUS FOR CERTAIN SYRIAN 
KURDS AND OTHER SYRIANS WHO WORKED 
FOR THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT IN 
SYRIA. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subsection (c)(1), and 
notwithstanding any other provision of law, for purposes 
of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 
et seq.), the Secretary of Homeland Security may provide 
an alien described in subsection (b) with the status of a 
special immigrant under section 101(a)(27) of such Act 
(8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(27)) if— 
(1) the alien, or an agent acting on behalf of 
the alien, submits a petition to the Secretary under 
section 204 of such Act (8 U.S.C. 1154) for classi-
fication under section 203(b)(4) of such Act (8 
U.S.C. 1153(b)(4)); 
(2) the alien is otherwise eligible to receive an 
immigrant visa; and 
(3) the alien is otherwise admissible to the 
United States for permanent residence (excluding 
the grounds for inadmissibility specified in section 
212(a)(4) of such Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(4))). 
(b) ALIENS DESCRIBED.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—An alien described in this 
subsection— 
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(A)(i) is a citizen or national of Syria or 
a stateless person who has habitually resided in 
Syria; 
(ii) has partnered with, was employed by, 
or worked for or directly with the United States 
Government in Syria as an interpreter, trans-
lator, intelligence analyst, or in another sen-
sitive and trusted capacity, on or after January 
1, 2014, for an aggregate period of not less 
than 1 year; and 
(iii) provided service to the United States 
efforts against the Islamic State, which has 
been documented in a positive recommendation 
or evaluation; or 
(B)(i) is the spouse or child of a principal 
alien described in subparagraph (A); and 
(ii)(I) is following or accompanying to join 
the principal alien in the United States; or 
(II) due to the death of the principal alien, 
a petition to follow or accompany to joint the 
principal alien in the United States— 
(aa) was revoked, terminated, or oth-
erwise rendered null; and 
(bb) would have been approved if the 
principal alien had survived. 
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(2) EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS.—An appli-
cation by a surviving spouse or a child of a principal 
alien shall be subject to the employment require-
ments set forth in paragraph (1)(A)— 
(A) as of the date on which the principal 
alien first filed an application for special immi-
grant status; or 
(B) if no such application has been filed, 
the employment requirements as of the date on 
which the principal alien died. 
(c) MEMBERSHIP IN CERTAIN SYRIAN ORGANIZA-
TIONS.—An applicant for admission to the United States 
under this section may not be deemed inadmissible based 
on membership in, participation in, or support provided 
to, the Syrian Democratic Forces or other partner organi-
zations as determined by the Secretary of Defense. 
(d) NUMERICAL LIMITATIONS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Except as otherwise pro-
vided under this subsection, the total number of 
principal aliens who may be provided special immi-
grant status under this section may not exceed 
4,000 in any of the 5 fiscal years beginning after the 
date of the enactment of this Act. 
(2) EXCLUSION
FROM
NUMERICAL
LIMITA-
TIONS.—Aliens provided special immigrant status 
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under this section shall not be counted against any 
numerical limitation under section 201(d), 202(a), 
or 203(b)(4) of the Immigration and Nationality Act 
(8 U.S.C. 1151(d), 1152(a), and 1153(b)(4)). 
(3) CARRY FORWARD.—If the numerical limita-
tion set forth in paragraph (1) is not reached during 
a fiscal year, the numerical limitation under such 
paragraph for the following fiscal year shall be in-
creased by a number equal to the difference be-
tween— 
(A) the number of visas authorized under 
paragraph (1) for such fiscal year; and 
(B) the number of principal aliens provided 
special immigrant status under this section dur-
ing such fiscal year. 
(e) VISA AND PASSPORT ISSUANCE AND FEES.—An 
alien described in subsection (b) may not be charged any 
fee in connection with an application for, or the issuance 
of, a special immigrant visa under this section. The Sec-
retary of State shall ensure that aliens who are issued a 
special immigrant visa under this section are provided 
with an appropriate passport necessary for admission to 
the United States. 
(f) PROTECTION
OF ALIENS.—The Secretary of 
State, in consultation with other relevant Federal agen-
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cies, shall provide an alien described in subsection (b) who 
is applying for a special immigrant visa with protection 
or the immediate removal from Syria or other nearby 
countries if the Secretary determines that such alien is 
in imminent danger. 
(g) APPLICATION PROCESS.— 
(1) REPRESENTATION.—An alien applying for 
admission to the United States as a special immi-
grant under this section may be represented during 
the application process, including at relevant inter-
views and examinations, by an attorney or other ac-
credited representative. Such representation shall 
not be at the expense of the United States Govern-
ment. 
(2) COMPLETION.—The Secretary of State and 
the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation 
with the Secretary of Defense, shall ensure that ap-
plications for special immigrant visas under this sec-
tion are processed in such a manner to ensure that 
all steps under the control of the respective depart-
ments incidental to the issuance of such visas, in-
cluding required screenings and background checks, 
are completed not later than 9 months after the date 
on which an eligible alien submits all required mate-
rials to apply for such visa. 
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(3) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Notwithstand-
ing paragraph (2), any Secretary referred to in 
paragraph (2) may take longer than 9 months to 
complete the steps incidental to issuing a visa under 
this section if the Secretary, or the designee of the 
Secretary— 
(A) determines that the satisfaction of na-
tional security concerns requires additional 
time; and 
(B) notifies the applicant of such deter-
mination. 
(4) APPEAL.—An alien whose petition for sta-
tus as a special immigrant is rejected or revoked— 
(A) shall receive a written decision that 
provides, to the maximum extent feasible, infor-
mation describing the basis for the denial, in-
cluding the facts and inferences underlying the 
individual determination; and 
(B) shall be provided not more than 1 
written appeal per rejection or denial, which— 
(i) shall be submitted not more than 
120 days after the date on which the appli-
cant receives a decision pursuant to sub-
paragraph (A); 
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(ii) may request the reopening of such 
decision; and 
(iii) shall provide additional informa-
tion, clarify existing information, or ex-
plain any unfavorable information. 
(h) ELIGIBILITY FOR OTHER IMMIGRANT CLASSI-
FICATION.—An alien may not be denied the opportunity 
to apply for admission under this section solely because 
such alien qualifies as an immediate relative of a national 
of the United States or is eligible for admission to the 
United States under any other immigrant classification. 
(i) RESETTLEMENT SUPPORT.—An alien who is 
granted special immigrant status under this section shall 
be eligible for the same resettlement assistance, entitle-
ment programs, and other benefits as is available to refu-
gees admitted under section 207 of the Immigration and 
Naturalization Act (8 U.S.C. 1157). 
(j) AUTHORITY TO CARRY OUT ADMINISTRATIVE 
MEASURES.—The Secretary of Homeland Security and 
the Secretary of State shall implement any additional ad-
ministrative measures as they consider necessary and ap-
propriate— 
(1) to ensure the prompt processing of applica-
tions under this section; 
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(2) to preserve the integrity of the program es-
tablished under this section; and 
(3) to protect the national security interests of 
the United States related to such program. 
(k) RULEMAKING.—Not later than 90 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Home-
land Security shall promulgate regulations to carry out 
this section, including establishing requirements for back-
ground checks. 
SEC. 3. SPECIAL IMMIGRANT STATUS REPORTING RE-
QUIREMENT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Inspector General of the De-
partment of State shall submit an annual report described 
in subsection (b), no later than January 30 of each year, 
with a classified annex if necessary, to— 
(1) the Committee on Judiciary, the Committee 
on Foreign Relations, and the Committee on Armed 
Services of the Senate; and 
(2) the Committee on Judiciary, the Committee 
on Foreign Affairs, and the Committee on Armed 
Services of the House of Representatives. 
(b) CONTENTS.—The report submitted under sub-
section (a) shall evaluate the implementation of the Syrian 
special immigrant status program under section 2, includ-
ing, for the previous calendar year— 
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(1) the number of petitions filed; 
(2) the number of petitions— 
(A) pending adjudication; 
(B) pending visa interview; and 
(C) pending security checks; 
(3) the number of petitions that were denied; 
(4) the number of cases that have exceeded the 
mandated processing time and relevant case num-
bers; and 
(5) an accounting of any obstacles discovered 
that would hinder effective implementation of the 
program. 
(c) CONSULTATION.—In preparing the report under 
subsection (a), the Inspector General shall consult with— 
(1) the Department of State, Bureau of Con-
sular Affairs, Visa Office; 
(2) the Department of State, Bureau of Near 
Eastern Affairs and South and Central Asian Af-
fairs, Executive Office; 
(3) the United States embassy in Kabul, Af-
ghanistan, Consular Section; 
(4) the United States embassy in Baghdad, 
Iraq, Consular Section; 
(5) the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. 
Citizenship and Immigration Services; 
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