Title: Preserving Opportunities for Childhood Arrivals Act
Policy area: Immigration

Summary:
Preserving Opportunities for Childhood Arrivals Act
This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide renewable 10-year conditional protected status for an alien who: (1) was in deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA) status as of September 5, 2017, and has been continuously present and residing in the United States since receiving such status, (2) has not been convicted of a violent misdemeanor, (3) is admissible and not deportable, and (4) files an application and pays a registration fee.
An individual in such status: (1) may work, (2) may apply for lawful permanent resident status, and (3) is ineligible for certain federal public benefits.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4488 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4488

  To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide conditional 
protected status for certain individuals who came to the United States 
                  as children, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 30, 2017

  Mr. Pearce introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide conditional 
protected status for certain individuals who came to the United States 
                  as children, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Preserving Opportunities for 
Childhood Arrivals Act''.

SEC. 2. CONDITIONAL PROTECTED STATUS FOR CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS WHO CAME 
              TO THE UNITED STATES AS CHILDREN.

    (a) In General.--The Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 
et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 244 the following:

``SEC. 244A. CONDITIONAL PROTECTED STATUS FOR CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS WHO 
              CAME TO THE UNITED STATES AS CHILDREN.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary of Homeland Security shall grant 
conditional protected status to an alien who--
            ``(1) meets the eligibility requirements under subsection 
        (b);
            ``(2) files an application with the Secretary seeking such 
        status; and
            ``(3) pays a registration fee, not to exceed $50, to the 
        Secretary.
    ``(b) Eligibility Criteria.--An alien is eligible for conditional 
protected status under this section if the alien--
            ``(1) was a recipient of deferred action pursuant to the 
        memorandum of the Secretary of Homeland Security entitled 
        `Exercising Prosecutorial Discretion with Respect to 
        Individuals Who Came to the United States as Children' dated 
        June 15, 2012, and was in such status on September 5, 2017;
            ``(2) is admissible under section 212 and is not deportable 
        under section 237, except that the Secretary shall waive the 
        grounds of inadmissibility under paragraphs (5), (6), (7), and 
        (9)(B) of section 212(a) and the grounds of deportability under 
        subparagraphs (A) through (C) of paragraph (1) and paragraph 
        (3) of section 237(a);
            ``(3) has not been convicted of a violent misdemeanor 
        offense; and
            ``(4) has been continuously physically present and 
        continuously resided in the United States since the date on 
        which the alien was granted deferred action.
    ``(c) Employment Authorization.--The Secretary shall grant 
employment authorization, or other appropriate work permit, to each 
alien granted conditional protected status under this section, which 
shall be effective throughout the period the alien maintains such 
status.
    ``(d) Treatment of Brief, Casual, and Innocent Departures.--For 
purposes of subsection (b)(3), an alien shall not be considered to have 
failed to maintain continuous physical presence or continuous residence 
in the United States by virtue of brief, casual, and innocent absences 
from the United States, without regard to whether such absences were 
authorized by the Attorney General.
    ``(e) Term; Renewals.--The term of conditional protected status 
under this section shall be for a 10-year period, which may be renewed 
for additional 10-year periods.
    ``(f) Adjustment of Status.--For purposes of adjustment of status 
under section 245 or change of status under section 248--
            ``(1) the alien shall be considered as having been 
        inspected and admitted into the United States, and as being in, 
        and maintaining lawful status as a nonimmigrant; and
            ``(2) the Secretary shall waive the grounds of 
        inadmissibility and the grounds of deportability described in 
        subsection (b)(2).
    ``(g) Alien Not Considered a Qualified Alien.--An alien granted 
conditional protected status under this section shall not be considered 
a qualified alien for purposes of title IV of the Personal 
Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (8 
U.S.C. 1601 et seq.).''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents for the Immigration 
and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 note) is amended by inserting after 
the item relating to section 244 the following:

``244A. Conditional protected status for certain individuals who came 
                            to the United States as children.''.
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