Comprehensive Immigration Fairness Reform Act of 2004

Bill: 108-hr-3918
Sponsor: Rep. Jackson-Lee, Sheila [D-TX-18]
Introduced: 2004-03-09 in the House
Policy area: Immigration
Subjects: Administrative fees
Administrative remedies
Admission of nonimmigrants
Africa (Sub-Saharan)
Alien labor
Aliens
Arrest
Bail
Caribbean area
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Computer software
Computers
Confidential communications
Congress
Crime and Law Enforcement
Criminal aliens
Criminal justice information
Department of Homeland Security
Department of Labor
Deportation
Detention of persons
Disciplining of employees
Discrimination in employment
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Electronic government information
Elementary and secondary education
Employee rights
English language
Executive reorganization
Families
Fingerprints
Fraud
Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
Governmental investigations
Haiti
Haiti compilation
Haitians
Health
Hours of labor
Identification of criminals
Illegal aliens
Immigrants
Injunctions
Labor and Employment
Latin America
Law
Liberia
Limitation of actions
Literacy programs
Married people
Minimum wages
Minorities
Minority employment
Naturalization
Occupational health and safety
Occupational retraining
Parents
Reading
Recruiting of employees
Refugees
Residence requirements
Science, Technology, Communications
Sunset legislation
Travel
Visas
Whistle blowing
Witnesses

Summary:
action_date: 2004-03-09
text: 
Comprehensive Immigration Fairness Reform Act of 2004 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to make permanently available the exception to the adjustment of status bar for beneficiaries of family petitions or labor certification applications. 
 
Adds grounds for discretionary waiver of inadmissibility.
 
Authorizes K nonimmigrant status for family members of U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents (LPRs) who are awaiting immigrant visas.
 
Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security, in specified circumstances, to disregard as an aggravated felony (with immigration consequences) certain criminal convictions.
 
Provides that a person who is a child on the last day of the 90-day period after an application for INA benefits (that has not been acted upon) is filed shall be considered to be a child for all purposes related to such application.
 
Establishes a program for earned access to legalization.
 
Expands the list of unfair immigration-related employment practices. Prohibits the disclosure of and reliance on immigration status and identity information obtained during related proceedings.
 
Requires petitioners for nonimmigrant workers to file affidavits describing efforts to recruit U.S. citizens or LPRs.
 
Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish an employment training program for unemployed U.S. workers. Requires the Secretary of Labor to establish an Office to Preserve American Jobs.
 
Doubles the numerical cap on worldwide diversity immigrant visas. 
 
Provides for adjustment of status of certain Haitian nationals. Eliminates mandatory detention in asylum seekers' expedited removal proceedings. Amends the Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act of 1998 to remove document fraud as a ground of inadmissibility and to address child-related determinations. 
 
Provides for adjustment of status of certain Liberian nationals and their family members.
 
Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to reduce the physical presence requirement for naturalization in extraordinary circumstances.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2004-04-02
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security, and Claims.
action_date: 2004-03-09
text: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2004-03-09
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2004-03-09
text: Introduced in House