zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act of 2011 - Adjusts to permanent resident status a qualifying Liberian national who: (1) has been continuously present in the United States between January 1, 2011, through the date of status adjustment application; or (2) is the spouse, child, or unmarried son or daughter of such an alien. Requires adjustment applications to be filed not later than one year after the date of enactment of this Act.

Date: 2011-03-28
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Birthright Citizenship Act of 2011 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to consider a person born in the United States "subject to the jurisdiction" of the United States for citizenship at birth purposes only if the person is born in the United States of parents, one of whom is: (1) a U.S. citizen or national, (2) a lawful permanent resident alien whose residence is in the United States, or (3) an alien performing active service in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Date: 2011-04-05
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Border Security Enforcement Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to deploy at least 6,000 National Guard personnel to perform operations in the Southwest Border region (Region) (the area in the United States that is within 150 miles of the U.S.-Mexico international border) to assist U.S. Customs and Border Protection in securing such border. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to increase, by September 30, 2016, the number of Border Patrol agents stationed in the Region by 5,000. Directs the Attorney General (DOJ), the Secretary, and the Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts to: (1) implement Operation Streamline in the Region; and (2) reimburse state, local, and tribal law enforcement for related detention costs. Authorizes the chief judge of each federal judicial district in the Region to appoint additional full-time magistrate judges who shall have the authority to hear all cases and controversies in the district in which the respective judges are appointed. Directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to enhance border enforcement preparedness and operational readiness through Operation Stonegarden. Directs the Secretary to: (1) construct, as needed, additional Border Patrol stations in the Region to provide operational support in rural, high-trafficked areas; (2) upgrade existing Border Patrol forward operating bases and establish new bases as needed; (3) complete the construction of a permanent checkpoint near Tubac, Arizona, and deploy additional temporary roving checkpoints in the Region. Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to direct the Secretary to: (1) complete the required 700 mile southwest border fencing by December 31, 2011; and (2) construct double- and triple-layer fencing at appropriate locations in the Region. Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) and the Secretary of the Interior to provide U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel with access to federal lands under their respective jurisdictions (within 150 miles of the Region) for security activities. Directs the Secretary to establish a two-year grant program to improve emergency communications for persons who live or work in the Region and who are at greater risk from border violence. Provides for: (1) specified equipment and technology enhancements; and (2) reimbursement of state, county, tribal, and municipal costs associated with the prosecution and pre-trial detention of federally initiated criminal cases declined by local U.S. Attorneys' offices. Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to include ultralight vehicles within the definition of "aircraft" for purposes of aviation smuggling provisions. Provides for DOD-DHS cooperation in identifying DOD equipment and technology that could be used by U.S. Customs and Border Protection to improve security along the U.S.-Mexico border by: (1) detecting border tunnels and ultralight aircraft, and (2) enhancing wide aerial surveillance.

Date: 2011-04-13
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Uniting American Families Act of 2011 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to include a "permanent partner" within the scope of such Act. Defines a "permanent partner" as an individual 18 or older who: (1) is in a committed, intimate relationship with another individual 18 or older in which both individuals intend a lifelong commitment; (2) is financially interdependent with the other individual; (3) is not married to, or in a permanent partnership with, anyone other than the individual; (4) is unable to contract with the other individual a marriage cognizable under this Act; and (5) is not a first, second, or third degree blood relation of the other individual. Defines "permanent partnership" as the relationship existing between two permanent partners.

Date: 2011-04-14
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Strengthening America's Public Schools Through Promoting Foreign Investment Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to permit a lawful alien who enters the United States on a nonimmigrant student visa (including Mexican and Canadian commuter students) to attend a U.S. public secondary school for longer than one year if such alien reimburses the local educational agency for the full, unsubsidized per capita cost of providing education at such school for the period of the alien's attendance.

Date: 2011-04-14
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Makes Israeli nationals eligible to enter the United States as nonimmigrant traders and investors as provided for under the Immigration and Nationality Act if Israel provides reciprocal nonimmigrant treatment to U.S. nationals.

Date: 2011-05-09
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act of 2011 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to exempt from worldwide or numerical limitations on immigrant visas the sons and daughters of Filipino World War II veterans who were naturalized under the Immigration Act of 1990 or other specified federal law.

Date: 2011-05-26
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Immigration Fraud Prevention Act of 2011 - Amends the federal criminal code to subject to a fine, up to five years in prison, or both a person who: (1) knowingly and falsely represents that he or she is an attorney or accredited representative authorized to represent aliens in immigration proceedings, including removal proceedings; or (2) knowingly executes an immigration-related scheme to defraud a person, or to receive money or anything of value from any person by false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to direct the Attorney General (DOJ) to: (1) compile and update a list of persons who have provided pro bono representation during the most recent 12-month period to aliens in removal proceedings; and (2) compile, update, and make available to the public a list of individuals, organizations, and practices determined to be prohibited in the provision of representation in immigration proceedings, including individuals that have been convicted of immigration fraud under provisions of this Act.

Date: 2011-07-07
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Hinder the Administration's Legalization Temptation Act or the HALT Act - Suspends until January 21, 2013, the Attorney General's (DOJ) authority regarding: (1) waiver of inadmissibility of aliens unlawfully present in the United States; (2) cancellation of removal and adjustment of status for certain non-permanent residents; (3) parole authority, except for parole entries for humanitarian, law enforcement, or security purposes; and (4) designation of a country for temporary protected status. Revises, until January 21, 2013, the definition of "unauthorized alien" (for purposes of the unauthorized employment of aliens) to eliminate the exclusion from such definition of an alien authorized to work by the Attorney General. Prohibits the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) from granting deferred action or extended voluntary departure to any alien until January 21, 2013, except for humanitarian, law enforcement, or security purposes. Suspends specified regulations until January 21, 2013. Revokes, as of the date of enactment of this Act, any immigration benefit granted during the period beginning on July 12, 2011, and ending on the date of enactment of this Act under any authority suspended by this Act with respect to: (1) parole authority, (2) the definition of an unauthorized alien, (3) deferred action or extended voluntary departure, or (4) such specified regulations.

Date: 2011-07-18
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Helping Agriculture Receive Verifiable Employees Securely and Temporarily Act of 2011 or the HARVEST Act of 2011 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to redefine "H-2A worker" to include a nonimmigrant who: (1) is seeking to perform agricultural labor in the United States in a job for which U.S. workers are not available and willing to perform such service or labor, and (2) commutes each day across the U.S. border and returns to his or her foreign residence and place of abode at the end of each business day. Sets forth employer and employee association petition and attestation requirements. Requires H-2A employers to participate in the the E-Verify program. Requires: (1) the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to conduct investigations and random audits of employer work sites; and (2) the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide each H-2A worker with a single machine-readable, counterfeit-resistant document that authorizes the alien's U.S. entry, serves as an employment eligibility document, and has at least one biometric identifier. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) penalties; (2) working conditions, wages, transportation, and housing; (3) admissions and extensions of stay; and (4) worker replacement. Amends the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act to: (1) limit the conditions under which the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) may provide legal assistance for any alien or provide financial assistance to any person or entity that provides legal assistance for any alien, (2) require a good faith mediation attempt prior to bringing a civil action for damages on behalf of an H-2A worker, (3) require an H-2A employer to post LSC contact information in the dwelling and at the work site of each nonimmigrant employee in a language in which all employees can understand, and (4) require that the LSC pay a prevailing defendant's costs. Authorizes appropriations to adjudicate H-2A petitions.

Date: 2011-07-19
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Humane Enforcement and Legal Protections for Separated Children Act or the HELP Separated Children Act - Sets forth apprehension procedures for immigration enforcement-related activities engaged in by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and cooperating entities, including: (1) providing the governor, local child welfare agencies, and local law enforcement with advance notice of an enforcement activity, if possible; (2) providing child welfare agencies and community organizations access to detained individuals to help DHS identify detainees who have children; (3) permitting detainees with children to make free phone calls to arrange for such children's care; and (4) requiring that the interests of children be considered in decisions regarding detainee release, detention, or transfer. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to: (1) require DHS detention facilities to implement procedures to ensure that child custody and family interests can be considered in any immigration detention action, (2) develop memoranda of understanding with child welfare agencies and community organizations that protect the best interests of children of detained individuals, and (3) provide DHS personnel with appropriate training.

Date: 2011-07-21
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Deems Taiwan to be a designated visa waiver program country under the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Date: 2011-09-13
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
SSI Extension for Elderly and Disabled Refugees Act of 2011 - Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to extend through FY2012 the eligibility period for benefits under title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) of the Social Security Act for certain aliens and victims of trafficking. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish a diversity immigrant VISA petition fee of $25, which shall be deposited directly in the general fund of the Treasury. Applies such fees only to petitions filed before October 1, 2013.

Date: 2011-09-22
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Social welfare
International Tourism Facilitation Act - Amends the Department of State and Related Agency Appropriations Act, 2005 to authorize the Secretary of State to charge consular services fees which may be deposited in the appropriate Department of State account to the extent that the amount of such fees collected during a fiscal year is greater than the amount of consular service fees deposited in the Treasury during FY2011. Amends the Department of State Authorities Act of 2006 to repeal the Secretary's authority to amend consular service surcharges in support of enhanced border security that are in addition to passport and immigrant visa fees in effect on January 1, 2004. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to authorize the Secretary to waive nonimmigrant visa interviews for up to three additional years (four years total) for individuals who previously held a U.S. visa. Directs the Secretary to report to Congress regarding nonimmigrant visa projections and plans to service such projections through 2020 in the high-growth markets of Brazil, China, and India.

Date: 2011-10-04
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Dairy and Sheep H-2A Act or the DASH Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to include within the H-2A nonimmigrant visa category (temporary agricultural workers) an alien coming temporarily to the United States to work as a sheepherder, goat herder, or dairy worker. Provides: (1) for a three-year initial period of admission with additional three-year extensions, and (2) that no period of U.S. absence may be required for approval of such extensions. Directs the Secretary of Labor to issue housing regulations for such workers.

Date: 2011-10-12
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
SSI Extension for Elderly and Disabled Refugees Act of 2011 - Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to extend through FY2012 the eligibility period for benefits under title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) of the Social Security Act for certain aliens and victims of trafficking. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish a diversity immigrant VISA petition fee of $30, which shall be deposited directly in the general fund of the Treasury. Applies such fees only to petitions filed before October 1, 2013.

Date: 2011-10-17
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Social welfare
Southern New Mexico Economic Development Act - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to permit a Mexican national who enters the United States with a valid border crossing card and who is admitted to the United States at the Columbus, Santa Teresa, or Antelope Wells port of entry in New Mexico, to remain in New Mexico, within 75 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border, for up to 30 days.

Date: 2011-10-18
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to toll, during active-duty service abroad in the Armed Forces, the periods of time for an alien spouse or petitioning spouse to file a petition and appear for an interview to remove the conditional basis for permanent resident status.

Date: 2011-11-03
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Prohibits federal funds from being used by a federal agency or instrumentality to participate in a lawsuit to overturn, enjoin, or otherwise invalidate specified immigration-related laws in Oklahoma, Missouri, Arizona, Utah, Indiana, Alabama, South Carolina, or Georgia.

Date: 2011-11-10
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to: (1) eliminate the per country numerical limitation for employment-based immigrants, and (2) increase the per country numerical limitation for family based immigrants. Amends the Chinese Student Protection Act of 1992 to eliminate the provision requiring the reduction of annual Chinese immigrant visas to offset status adjustments under such Act.

Date: 2011-11-10
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Families First Immigration Enforcement Act - Requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in a workplace enforcement operation that is calculated to apprehend or does apprehend at least 50 aliens, to do the following: (1) give state agencies sufficient notice to arrange for representatives who speak the detainees' language and to provide for any special needs; (2) afford access to state social service agencies to screen and interview detainees to determine if medical risks or risks to relatives exist; (3) consider, upon recommendation, the release of detainees on age, medical, or family related humanitarian grounds; and (4) provide a toll-free number for families of detainees to report their relationship to DHS or state social services. Requires that such aliens have access to legal orientation presentations through the Executive Office for Immigration Review's legal orientation program. States that detainees should be held within the jurisdiction of the local U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office to the extent that space allows. Requires a detainee's release within 72 hours of apprehension if such alien is not subject to mandatory detention, does not pose a flight risk, or is subject to humanitarian release. States that such alien shall be released: (1) on his or her own recognizance, (2) by posting a minimum bond, (3) on parole under the Immigration and Nationality Act, or (4) through the intensive supervision appearance or similar program.

Date: 2011-12-07
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2011 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to: (1) eliminate the per country numerical limitation for employment-based immigrants, and (2) increase the per country numerical limitation for family based immigrants from 7% to 15% of the total number of family-sponsored visas. Amends the Chinese Student Protection Act of 1992 to eliminate the provision requiring the reduction of annual Chinese (PRC) immigrant visas to offset status adjustments under such Act. Sets forth the following transition period for employment-based second and third preference (EB-2 and EB-3) immigrant visas: (1) for FY2012, 15% of such visas allotted to natives of countries other than the two countries with the largest aggregate numbers of natives obtaining such visas in FY2010; (2) for FY2013, 10% of such visas allotted in each category to natives of countries other than the two with the largest aggregate numbers of natives obtaining such visas in FY2011; and (3) for FY2014, 10% of such visas allotted in each category to natives of countries other than the two with the largest aggregate numbers of natives obtaining such visas in FY2012. Sets forth the following per country distribution rules: (1) for transition period visas, not more than 25% of the total number of EB-2 and EB-3 visas for natives of a single country; and (2) for non-transition period visas, not more than 85% of EB-2 and EB-3 visas for natives of a single country. Includes nationals of Ireland coming to the United States under a treaty of commerce to perform specialty occupation services in the nonimmigrant E-3 visa category. Transfers specified approval authority regarding the temporary admission of certain aliens not otherwise admissible from the Attorney General (DOJ) to the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS). Expands the grounds for such approval.

Date: 2011-12-13
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Visa Act of 2011 or STEM Visa Act of 2011 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish a priority worker immigrant visa for an alien who has a qualifying: (1) master's or higher degree in a field of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM degree) from a U.S. institution of higher education; and (2) employment offer from a U.S. employer. Eliminates the foreign residency requirement for certain foreign students. Allows extensions of stay based upon a lengthy labor certification or priority adjudication for: (1) foreign students, (2) speciality occupation aliens, and (3) intracompany transfers. Provides for the recapture of unused employment-based and family-based immigrant visas. Exempts spouses and minor children from counting against numerical limits. Revises per country (and dependent) area limits to: (1) eliminate employment-based limits, and (2) increase family-based limits. Establishes in the Treasury the STEM Education and Training Account. Requires that 60% of Account funds be used for a STEM scholarship program for low-income U.S. students enrolled in degree programs in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics. Authorizes certain undocumented higher education students who first entered the United States when they were 15 years old or younger to adjust to nonimmigrant student status. Revises labor certification provisions, including: (1) requiring the Department of Labor to adjudicate an application within 120 days, (2) creating an Established U.S. Recruiter designation for recruiters who regularly recruit U.S. workers, and (3) authorizing a premium application processing fee. Revises the prevailing wage level computation formula. Revises H-1B visa (specialty occupation) provisions regarding: (1) wages, (2) U.S. worker displacement and protections, (3) recruitment requirements, (4) portability, (5) creation of a P-visa for fashion models in lieu of H-1B visa inclusion, (6) elimination of extensions for certain short-term workers, and (7) retention of petition priority date. Revises L-visa (intracompany transferee) provisions regarding: (1) wage requirements for certain L-1B visa (specialized knowledge) employees, (2) investigations of complaints against employers, and (3) the blanket petition process for employers who hire large numbers of intracompany transferees. Revises EB-5 employment creation investor provisions to: (1) require a visa set-aside for an employment creation regional center program, (2) provide a preapproval procedure for new commercial enterprises, (3) revise targeted employment area provisions, and (4) provide a limited extension for employers to meet program requirements. Establishes in the Treasury the Immigrant Entrepreneur Account.

Date: 2011-12-13
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Irish Immigration Recognition and Encouragement Act of 2011 or IRE Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to include nationals of Ireland coming to the United States under a treaty of commerce to perform specialty occupation services in the nonimmigrant E-3 visa category.

Date: 2011-12-15
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Scott Gardner Act - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to share immigration information with the Attorney General (DOJ). Requires a joint report from such officials to Congress on improving the performance of federal immigration databases to ensure the prompt entry of immigration information. Requires: (1) the director of each state and local law enforcement agency receiving federal incarceration funds under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to collect and report to the Secretary all immigration and DWI (driving while intoxicated) information collected in the course of normal duties, (2) such information to appear in the wanted person file of the National Criminal Information Center (NCIC) database, and (3) state or local detention of an arrested flagged alien pending federal transfer. Amends INA to: (1) require the Secretary to reimburse the costs of training state and local law enforcement employees on federal immigration laws; and (2) authorize the apprehension and detention of an alien for DWI or a similar violation, as long as the alien is deportable on any other grounds or is an illegal alien. Requires each state motor vehicle administrator to share with the Secretary all information concerning aliens with records of DWI convictions or refusals to take sobriety tests. Directs the Secretary to submit to Congress a formula for the allocation of federal detention facilities for aliens.

Date: 2012-03-29
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Responsible Child Tax Credit Eligibility Verification Act of 2012 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require a taxpayer who is an alien and who is claiming the refundable portion of the child tax credit to attach to his or her tax return a photocopy of: (1) each page of the taxpayer's passport; (2) the taxpayer's nonimmigrant visa; (3) the taxpayer's employment authorization; (4) the taxpayer's arrival-departure documentation; and (5) the passport, visa, and arrival-departure documentation for each qualifying alien child of the taxpayer.

Date: 2012-05-10
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Taxation
Securing the Talent America Requires for the 21st Century Act of 2012 or the STAR Act of 2012 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to allocate 55,000 annual immigrant visas for eligible STEM field (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) advanced degree graduates of qualifying U.S. research institutions who have job offers in related fields. Exempts from regular labor certification requirements an alien who holds a master's degree in a STEM field from a U.S. research institution if the alien will be employed by an employer who engages in a competitive recruitment and selection process and determines that the alien is more qualified than any U.S. worker who applied for the job. Deems as a shortage occupation a job described in an employment-based immigrant preference petition filed on behalf of an alien who holds a doctorate degree from a U.S. research institution in a STEM field. Permits the petitioner to apply for a certification directly with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Includes among employment-based immigrant preferences aliens who graduate from a U.S. research institution with a doctorate or master's degree in a STEM field and intend to work in a related field. Excludes an alien student who intends to pursue an advanced STEM field degree in a U.S. research institution from the foreign student visa requirement that an alien student has a foreign residence which he or she has no intention of abandoning.

Date: 2012-05-15
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Sustaining our Most Advanced Researchers and Technology Jobs Act of 2012 or the SMART Jobs Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish an F-4 nonimmigrant visa for an alien who has been accepted and plans to attend an accredited graduate program for a degree in a STEM field (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) at an institution of higher education in the United States. Requires an F-4 alien to demonstrate an intent to: (1) return to his or her country of residence upon completion or termination of such qualifying graduate program, or (2) obtain U.S. employment in a STEM field and become a permanent U.S. resident upon completion of the graduate program which was the basis for such nonimmigrant status. States that an F-4 visa shall be valid: (1) during the intended period of graduate study, (2) for an additional one year period if the alien is pursuing an offer of STEM field employment, and (3) for an additional six month period while the alien's application for permanent resident status adjustment is pending. States that an alien shall qualify for permanent resident status adjustment if he or she: (1) has F-4 status and has earned an advanced STEM field degree at an institution of higher education, and (2) is employed full-time in the United States in a STEM field position.

Date: 2012-05-16
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Amends the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1993 to extend the EB-5 Regional Center program through September 30, 2015. (Eliminates pilot program references to such program.) Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to extend the E-Verify program through September 30, 2015. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to extend the Special Immigrant Nonminister Religious Worker program through September 30, 2015. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Technical Corrections Act of 1994 to extend the Conrad State 30 J-1 Visa Waiver program through September 30, 2015. States that nothing in this Act may be construed to authorize a national identification card.

Date: 2012-05-24
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Indonesian Family Refugee Protection Act - Authorizes a qualifying Indonesian citizen whose asylum claim was denied solely upon a failure to meet the one-year application filing deadline to file a motion to reopen such claim. Requires that such motion be filed during the two-year period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act.

Date: 2012-06-25
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Voter Integrity Protection Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to make voting in a federal election (unless otherwise provided for under the federal criminal code) by an alien who is unlawfully in the United States an aggravated felony and a deportable offense.

Date: 2012-09-20
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006 to consider a period of time working abroad for the Chief of Mission or U.S. Armed Forces as a translator, interpreter, or in a security-related position in an executive or managerial capacity as a period of U.S. residence and physical presence for naturalization purposes if at least a portion of such period was spent working directly in such capacity for the Chief of Mission or U.S. Armed Forces.

Date: 2012-11-28
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Birthright Citizenship Act of 2013 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to consider a person born in the United States "subject to the jurisdiction" of the United States for citizenship at birth purposes if the person is born in the United States of parents, one of whom is: (1) a U.S. citizen or national, (2) a lawful permanent resident alien whose residence is in the United States, or (3) an alien performing active service in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Date: 2013-01-03
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Visa Waiver for Israel Act of 2013 - Includes Israel in the visa waiver program upon the Secretary of Homeland Security's (DHS) determination that Israel: (1) has entered into an agreement with the United States to report, or make available through Interpol or other means, information about passport theft or loss; (2) has entered into an information sharing agreement with the United States regarding whether Israeli citizens and nationals traveling to the United States represent a U.S. security threat; (3) cooperates with the U.S. government on counterterrorism initiatives, information sharing, and preventing terrorist travel; (4) issues all new and reissued passports with biometric identifiers; and (5) has made every reasonable effort, without jeopardizing Israeli security, to ensure that reciprocal privileges are extended to all U.S. citizens.

Date: 2013-01-15
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to permit each applicant for naturalization to choose to have the oath of allegiance for naturalization administered by a Member of Congress, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner (Member).

Limits the administration of the oath: (1) by a Senator to individuals who reside in the Senator's state; and (2) by a Member of the House of Representatives, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner to individuals who reside in the respective congressional district.

Limits the Member's authority solely to the administration of such oath.

Prohibits a Member from administering the oath during the 90-day period before any election for federal, state, or local office in which the Member is a candidate.

Requires a Member to administer the oath only at times and places designated by the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS).

Prohibits a Member from administering the oath during any period in which exclusive authority to administer it may be exercised by an eligible court for the person concerned, unless the court has waived such exclusive authority.

Date: 2013-01-23
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act, in the case of an alien subject to removal, deportation, or exclusion and who is the parent of a U.S. citizen child, to authorize an immigration judge to decline to order such removal if the judge determines such action to be against the child's best interests.

States that such discretion shall not apply to an alien when the judge determines that the alien: (1) is excludable or deportable on security grounds, or (2) has engaged in sex trafficking or severe forms of trafficking in persons.

Date: 2013-01-23
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Prohibits federal funds from being used to promulgate, finalize, implement, administer, or enforce the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) final rule entitled "Provisional Unlawful Presence Waivers of Inadmissibility for Certain Immediate Relatives" (published on January 3, 2013) or any successor or substantially similar rule.

Date: 2013-01-25
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Military Enlistment Opportunity Act of 2013 - Amends citizenship and residency qualifications for enlistment in the armed forces to permit enlistment of additional persons who: (1) have resided continuously in a lawful status in the United States for at least two years, or (2) possess an employment authorization document issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services under requirements of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) policy entitled Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.

 Requires authorized enlistees who are not citizens or other nationals of the United States or lawfully admitted for permanent residence to be adjusted to the status of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence under an exception to specified provisions of Immigration and Nationality Act. (Such enlistees need not establish that they entered the United States prior to January 1, 1972, or comply with other specified requirements.)

Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to rescind such adjusted status if the person is separated from the armed forces under other than honorable conditions before the person served for a period or periods aggregating five years.

Date: 2013-01-29
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Criminal Alien Accountability Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish minimum imprisonment terms for specified categories of aliens subject to criminal fines, imprisonment, or both, for reenrty as removed aliens. (Such provision does not apply to aliens removed for security or terrorist grounds.)

Subjects an individual who knowingly aids or conspires to allow, procure, or permit any such alien to reenter the United States to criminal penalty, the same imprisonment term as applies to the alien so aided, or both.

Date: 2013-02-04
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Fallen Heroes Family Act of 2013 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to include as a nonimmigrant alien an alien who is the parent of a child who: (1) is a U.S. citizen; (2) was born outside the United States and its outlying possessions; and (3) had a natural parent who served honorably in an active-duty status in the U.S. Armed Forces and died on or after September 11, 2001, from an injury or disease incurred in or aggravated by that service.

Defines "parent" to include a legal guardian or other person standing in loco parentis for purposes of: (1) such nonimmigrant alien; and (2) immediate relative status with respect to aliens who are not subject to direct numerical limitations.

Sets forth related conditions concerning: (1) employment, (2) period of authorized admission, and (3) number of aliens to be admitted for each such child.

Date: 2013-02-04
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act regarding U-visa (victims of certain crimes) provisions to: (1) limit derivative visas to spouses and children of an alien victim; (2) require visa recipients to be a victim of an actual crime by eliminating eligibility based upon being the intended victim of an attempt, conspiracy, or solicitation to commit any of the specified crimes; (3) limit visa duration to the lesser of three years or the period of limitations prescribed for the qualifying crime; and (4) eliminate U-visa status adjustment to permanent legal resident status.

Date: 2013-02-04
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Nuclear Family Priority Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to eliminate parents from the definition of "immediate relatives" with respect to those aliens not subject to worldwide immigration levels or numerical limitations.

Replaces existing family-sponsored immigrant categories with a single preference allocation for spouses and children of permanent resident aliens.

Reduces the number of, and revises the calculation for, fiscal year family-sponsored immigrant entrants.

Establishes a nonimmigrant visa category for an alien who is a parent of a U.S. citizen at least 21 years old.

Date: 2013-02-04
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
E-Verify Modernization Act of 2013 - Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to make the E-Verify Program permanent and mandatory.

Revises specified Program procedures.

Date: 2013-02-04
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Visa Waiver Program Enhanced Security and Reform Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act regarding the visa waiver program to: (1) authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to designate any country as a program country; (2) adjust visa refusal rate criteria, including addition of a 3% maximum overstay rate; and (3) revise probationary and termination provisions.

Directs the Secretary to submit to Congress: (1) an evaluation of the security risks of aliens who enter the United States without an approved Electronic System for Travel Authorization verification, and (2) a description of any improvements needed to minimize the number of aliens who enter the United States without such verification.

Date: 2013-02-04
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Uniting American Families Act of 2013 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to include a "permanent partner" within the scope of such Act. Defines a "permanent partner" as an individual 18 or older who: (1) is in a committed, intimate relationship with another individual 18 or older in which both individuals intend a lifelong commitment; (2) is financially interdependent with the other individual; (3) is not married to, or in a permanent partnership with, anyone other than the individual; (4) is unable to contract with the other individual a marriage cognizable under this Act; and (5) is not a first, second, or third degree blood relation of the other individual.

Defines: (1) "permanent partnership" as the relationship existing between two permanent partners, and (2) "alien permanent partner" as the individual in a permanent partnership who is being sponsored for a visa.

Date: 2013-02-05
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
End Immuity for Brazilian Criminals Act - Prohibits the issuance of a visa to a citizen, subject, national, or resident of Brazil until the President certifies to Congress that the government of Brazil has removed the prohibition on extradition of Brazilian nationals to other countries.

Authorizes the President to waive such prohibition on a case-by-case basis if in the U.S. national interest.

Date: 2013-02-06
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Violence Against Immigrant Women Act of 2013 - Amends provisions regarding violence against immigrant women in the following areas: (1) employment of Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and U-visa (victims of certain crimes) nonimmigrant aliens, (2) self-petitioning, (3) protections for children and family members from traffickers and criminals, (4) recapture of unused U-visas, (5) battered spouse and family member protections, (6) asylum, (7) removal, (8) naturalization, (9) VAWA confidentiality, (10) services for trafficking victims, (11) fiancee/fiance protections and marriage broker regulation, and (12) sexual abuse in custodial settings.

Date: 2013-02-13
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2013 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to: (1) eliminate the per country numerical limitation for employment-based immigrants, and (2) increase the per country numerical limitation for family based immigrants from 7% to 15% of the total number of family-sponsored visas.

Amends the Chinese Student Protection Act of 1992 to eliminate the provision requiring the reduction of annual Chinese (PRC) immigrant visas to offset status adjustments under such Act.

Sets forth the following transition period for employment-based second and third preference (EB-2 and EB-3) immigrant visas: (1) for FY2013, 15% of such visas allotted to natives of countries other than the two countries with the largest aggregate numbers of natives obtaining such visas in FY2011; (2) for FY2014, 10% of such visas allotted in each category to natives of countries other than the two with the largest aggregate numbers of natives obtaining such visas in FY2012; and (3) for FY2015, 10% of such visas allotted in each category to natives of countries other than the two with the largest aggregate numbers of natives obtaining such visas in FY2013.

Sets forth the following per country distribution rules: (1) for transition period visas, not more than 25% of the total number of EB-2 and EB-3 visas for natives of a single country; and (2) for non-transition period visas, not more than 85% of EB-2 and EB-3 visas for natives of a single country.

Provides that the amendments made by this Act will take place as if enacted on September 30, 2012, and shall apply beginning in FY2013.

Date: 2013-02-13
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Immigration Oversight and Fairness Act - Sets forth detention standards for immigration detention facilities.

Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to: (1) convene a detention advisory committee; (2) promulgate regulations regarding detainee care and custody; (3) implement secure alternatives to detention programs under which eligible aliens are released under supervision, assistance, and monitoring that ensure their appearance at all immigration interviews, appointments, and hearings; and (4) provide protective detention alternatives for specified categories of vulnerable aliens.

Date: 2013-02-13
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Strengthening Refugee Resettlement Act - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to work with the heads of other relevant federal agencies to conduct a review of refugee processing with the goal of streamlining processing, consistent with maintaining security.

Directs the Secretary of State (Secretary) to establish overseas refugee English language and work orientation training programs prior to the departure for the United States of refugees who have been approved for U.S. admission.

Permits: (1) refugees (and their spouses and children) to be admitted to the United States as lawful permanent residents, and (2) asylum seekers (and their spouses and children) to be granted lawful permanent residency.

Directs the Secretary when setting the amount of reception and placement grants to: (1) adjust the grant amount to account for anticipated initial refugee resettlement needs, and (2) ensure that funding is provided to national resettlement agencies at the beginning of the fiscal year.

Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should appoint a White House Coordinator on Refugee Protection.

Requires the Director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (Director) to make grants to national resettlement agencies to operate a case management system to assist individuals access eligible services, benefits, and assistance provided by the Office, federal, state, or local agencies, and private or nonprofit organizations.

Requires the Office, subject to available appropriations, to provide refugees with a minimum of 12 months' assistance and social services for employment, health, and living expenses.

Authorizes the Director to award grants to community-based organizations, nonprofit organizations, and resettlement agencies for programs to assist newcomers integrate into U.S. civic life.

Expands eligibility for, and participation in, the refugee matching grant program (federal-private refugee assistance).

Establishes a Domestic Emergency Refugee Resettlement Fund to meet unanticipated refugee resettlement needs.

Makes SSI (supplemental security income) benefits available to qualified aliens, U-visa aliens (victim of criminal activity), or certain T-visa aliens (victims of trafficking in persons) who were ineligible for such benefits because of their failure to acquire citizenship within seven years.

Makes a child who has been granted special immigrant status as a victim of criminal activity (U-visa) eligible for specified refugee benefits.

Date: 2013-02-13
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Indonesian Family Refugee Protection Act - Authorizes a qualifying Indonesian citizen whose asylum claim was denied solely upon a failure to meet the one-year application filing deadline to file a motion to reopen such claim.

Requires that such motion be filed during the two-year period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act.

Date: 2013-02-13
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration