I 
108TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4873 
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide for flexibility 
in the naturalization process for aliens in active duty service in the 
Armed Forces abroad. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 20, 2004 
Mr. MEEKS of New York introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide 
for flexibility in the naturalization process for aliens in 
active duty service in the Armed Forces abroad. 
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 ‘‘Active Duty Naturalization 
Accommodation Act of 2004’’.
SEC. 2. FLEXIBILITY IN NATURALIZATION PROCESS FOR 
ALIENS IN ACTIVE DUTY STATUS IN THE 
ARMED FORCES ABROAD. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 332 of the Immigration 
and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1443) is amended by add-
ing at the end the following new subsection: 
‘‘(i)(1) In the case of an alien who has applied for 
naturalization under this chapter and who is stationed 
abroad (or who has received an order to be stationed 
abroad) in active duty status in the Armed Forces of the 
United States, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall 
provide procedures under which deadlines, interviews, and 
similar requirements otherwise applicable to the natu-
ralization process for the alien are suspended until the 
alien is provided a period (of at least 30 days) after the 
date of the alien’s return to the United States after service 
in the Armed Forces abroad (or, in the case of rescission 
of such an order, the date of such rescission) in which 
to meet such deadlines and requirements, except as pro-
vided under paragraph (2). 
‘‘(2) An alien described in paragraph (1) may elect 
(in a form and manner specified by the Secretary of 
Homeland Security) to waive the application of such para-
graph and to meet such deadlines and requirements not-
withstanding the alien’s absence from the United States.
‘‘(3) The Secretary of Homeland Security shall estab-
lish a form that an alien described in paragraph (1) may 
file with the Secretary (or with the Secretary of Defense 
under arrangements made between such Secretaries) in 
order to facilitate the application of paragraph (1) to the 
alien during the period in which such paragraph applies. 
However, nothing in this subsection shall be construed as 
requiring an alien to file such form as a condition of ob-
taining the benefit of paragraph (1). 
‘‘(4) The Secretary of Homeland Security shall pro-
vide information about this subsection to aliens applying 
for naturalization and, to the extent practicable, the Sec-
retary of Defense shall inform aliens who are in active 
duty status in the Armed Forces of the United States 
abroad (or who have been ordered to perform such service 
abroad) of the procedures under paragraph (1) and shall 
make the form established under paragraph (3) available 
upon request.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 
subsection (a) shall take effect on such date, not later than 
30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, as 
the Secretary of Homeland Security specifies. 
(c) TRANSITION.—In the case of an alien who, during 
the period beginning on September 11, 2001, and ending 
on the effective date specified under subsection (b), had