I 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2878 
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act with respect to temporary 
admission of nonimmigrant aliens to the United States for the purpose 
of receiving medical treatment, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 9, 2011 
Mr. COHEN (for himself and Mr. ISSA) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act with respect 
to temporary admission of nonimmigrant aliens to the 
United States for the purpose of receiving medical treat-
ment, 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 ‘‘Compassionate Visa 
for Medical Treatment Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. NONIMMIGRANT CLASSES FOR ALIENS SEEKING 
MEDICAL TREATMENT AND IMMEDIATE FAM-
ILY MEMBERS. 
Section 101(a)(15)(B) of the Immigration and Na-
tionality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(B)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘(B)’’ and inserting ‘‘(B)(i)’’; 
and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(ii) an alien having a residence in a foreign country 
which the alien has no intention of abandoning who seeks 
to enter the United States temporarily and solely for the 
purpose of receiving medical treatment (including partici-
pation in a research study) for a disease or condition that, 
if left untreated, threatens to undermine the alien’s sur-
vival or day-to-day functioning with an increased likeli-
hood of a progression from a less severe to a more severe 
disease or condition; or 
‘‘(iii) a son, daughter, spouse, or parent of an alien 
described in clause (ii) if accompanying or following to join 
such alien;’’. 
SEC. 3. CONDITIONS ON NONIMMIGRANTS RECEIVING MED-
ICAL TREATMENT IN THE UNITED STATES 
AND FAMILY MEMBERS. 
Section 212(q) of the Immigration and Nationality 
Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(q)) is amended— 
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(1) by striking ‘‘(q)’’ and inserting ‘‘(q)(1)’’; 
and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(2) For each principal alien admitted under clause 
(ii) of section 101(a)(15)(B), not more than two family 
members may be admitted under clause (iii) of such sec-
tion. 
‘‘(3) The initial period of authorized admission for 
a nonimmigrant described in clause (ii) or (iii) of section 
101(a)(15)(B) may not exceed 6 months. Such initial pe-
riod may be extended in increments of up to 1 year by 
the Secretary of Homeland Security based on documented 
need for the principal alien described in section 
101(a)(15)(B)(ii) to continue to receive medical treatment 
in the United States. 
‘‘(4) In the case of a parent admitted as a non-
immigrant under clause (iii) of section 101(a)(15)(B) in 
order to accompany or follow to join a child admitted 
under clause (ii) of such section, if the parent’s initial pe-
riod of authorized admission is extended under paragraph 
(3), the Secretary of Homeland Security shall authorize 
the parent to engage in employment in the United States 
during the remainder of the parent’s period of authorized 
admission as such a nonimmigrant, and shall provide the 
parent with an ‘employment authorized’ endorsement or 
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other appropriate document signifying authorization of 
employment.’’. 
SEC. 4. CONSTRUCTION. 
The amendments made by this Act shall not be con-
strued to permit an alien admitted to the United States 
under the provisions of such amendments to adjust status 
to that of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent resi-
dence. 
Æ 
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