Home > 106th Congressional Bills > S. 2788 (is) To establish a strategic planning team to develop a plan for the dissemination of research on reading. [Introduced in Senate] ...S. 2788 (is) To establish a strategic planning team to develop a plan for the dissemination of research on reading. [Introduced in Senate] ...
``(aa) the marriage or the intent to marry the lawful
permanent resident was entered into in good faith by the alien;
and
``(bb) during the marriage or relationship intended by the
alien to be legally a marriage, the alien or a child of the
alien has been battered or has been the subject of extreme
cruelty perpetrated by the alien's spouse or intended spouse.
``(II) For purposes of subclause (I), an alien described in this
paragraph is an alien--
``(aa)(AA) who is the spouse of a lawful permanent resident
of the United States; or
``(BB) who believed that he or she had married a lawful
permanent resident of the United States and with whom a
marriage ceremony was actually performed and who otherwise
meets any applicable requirements under this Act to establish
the existence of and bona fides of a marriage, but whose
marriage is not legitimate solely because of the bigamy of such
lawful permanent resident of the United States; or
``(CC) who was a bona fide spouse of a lawful permanent
resident within the past 2 years and--
``(aaa) whose spouse lost status due to an incident
of domestic violence; or
``(bbb) who demonstrates a connection between the
legal termination of the marriage and battering or
extreme cruelty by the lawful permanent resident
spouse;
``(bb) who is a person of good moral character;
``(cc) who is eligible to be classified as a spouse of an
alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence under section
203(a)(2)(A) or who would have been so classified but for the
bigamy of the lawful permanent resident of the United States
that the alien intended to marry; and
``(dd) who has resided with the alien's spouse or intended
spouse.''.
(3) Self-petitioning children.--Section 204(a)(1)(B)(iii)
of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C.
1154(a)(1)(B)(iii)) is amended to read as follows:
``(iii) An alien who is the child of an alien lawfully admitted for
permanent residence, or who was the child of a lawful permanent
resident who lost lawful permanent resident status due to an incident
of domestic violence, and who is a person of good moral character, who
is eligible for classification under section 203(a)(2)(A), and who
resides, or has resided in the past, with the alien's permanent
resident alien parent may file a petition with the Attorney General
under this subparagraph for classification of the alien (and any child
of the alien) under such section if the alien demonstrates to the
Attorney General that the alien has been battered by or has been the
subject of extreme cruelty perpetrated by the alien's permanent
resident parent. For purposes of this clause, residence includes any
period of visitation.''.
(4) Filing of petitions.--Section 204(a)(1)(B) of the
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1154(a)(1)(B)) is
amended by adding at the end the following:
``(iv) An alien who is the spouse, intended spouse, or child of a
lawful permanent resident living abroad is eligible to file a petition
under clause (ii) or (iii) shall file such petition with the Attorney
General under the procedures that apply to self-petitioners under
clauses (ii) or (iii).''.
(d) Good Moral Character Determinations for Self-Petitioners and
Treatment of Child Self-Petitioners and Petitions Including Derivative
Children Attaining 21 Years of Age.--Section 204(a)(1) of the
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1154(a)(1)) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subparagraphs (C) through (H) as
subparagraphs (E) through (J), respectively;
(2) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the following:
``(C) Notwithstanding section 101(f), an act or
conviction that is waivable with respect to the
petitioner for purposes of a determination of the
petitioner's admissibility under section 212(a) or
deportability under section 237(a) shall not bar the
Attorney General from finding the petitioner to be of
good moral character under subparagraph (A)(iii),
(A)(iv), (B)(ii), or (B)(iii) if the Attorney General
finds that the act or conviction was connected to the
alien's having been battered or subjected to extreme
cruelty.
``(D)(i)(I) Any child who attains 21 years of age
who has filed a petition under clause (iv) of section
204(a)(1)(A) that was filed or approved before the date
on which the child attained 21 years of age shall be
considered (if the child has not been admitted or
approved for lawful permanent residence by the date the
child attained 21 years of age) a petitioner for
preference status under paragraph (1), (2), or (3) of
section 203(a), whichever paragraph is applicable, with
the same priority date assigned to the self-petition
filed under clause (iv) of section 204(a)(1)(A). No new
petition shall be required to be filed.
``(II) Any individual described in subclause (I) is
eligible for deferred action and work authorization.
``(III) Any derivative child who attains 21 years
of age who is included in a petition described in
clause (ii) that was filed or approved before the date
on which the child attained 21 years of age shall be
considered (if the child has not been admitted or
approved for lawful permanent residence by the date the
child attained 21 years of age) a petitioner for
preference status under paragraph (1), (2), or (3) of
section 203(a), whichever paragraph is applicable, with
the same priority date as that assigned to the
petitioner in any petition described in clause (ii). No
new petition shall be required to be filed.
``(IV) Any individual described in subclause (III)
and any derivative child of a petition described in
clause (ii) is eligible for deferred action and work
authorization.
``(ii) The petition referred to in clause (i)(III)
is a petition filed by an alien under subparagraph
(A)(iii), (A)(iv), (B)(ii) or (B)(iii) in which the
child is included as a derivative beneficiary.''; and
(3) in subparagraph (J) (as so redesignated), by inserting
``or in making determinations under subparagraphs (C) and
(D),'' after ``subparagraph (B),''.
(e) Access to Naturalization for Divorced Victims of Abuse.--
Section 319(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C.
1430(a)) is amended--
(1) by inserting ``, or any person who obtained status as a
lawful permanent resident by reason of his or her status as a
spouse or child of a United States citizen who battered him or
her or subjected him or her to extreme cruelty,'' after
``United States'' the first place such term appears; and
(2) by inserting ``(except in the case of a person who has
been battered or subjected to extreme cruelty by a United
States citizen spouse or parent)'' after ``has been living in
marital union with the citizen spouse''.
SEC. 504. IMPROVED ACCESS TO CANCELLATION OF REMOVAL AND SUSPENSION OF
DEPORTATION UNDER THE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT OF 1994.
(a) Cancellation of Removal and Adjustment of Status for Certain
Nonpermanent Residents.--Section 240A(b)(2) of the Immigration and
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1229b(b)(2)) is amended to read as follows:
``(2) Special rule for battered spouse or child.--
``(A) Authority.--The Attorney General may cancel
removal of, and adjust to the status of an alien
lawfully admitted for permanent residence, an alien who
is inadmissible or deportable from the United States if
the alien demonstrates that--
``(i)(I) the alien has been battered or
subjected to extreme cruelty by a spouse or
parent who is or was a United States citizen
(or is the parent of a child of a United States
citizen and the child has been battered or
subjected to extreme cruelty by such citizen
parent);
``(II) the alien has been battered or
subjected to extreme cruelty by a spouse or
parent who is or was a lawful permanent
resident (or is the parent of a child of an
alien who is or was a lawful permanent resident
and the child has been battered or subjected to
extreme cruelty by such permanent resident
parent); or
``(III) the alien has been battered or
subjected to extreme cruelty by a United States
citizen or lawful permanent resident whom the
alien intended to marry, but whose marriage is
not legitimate because of that United States
citizen's or lawful permanent resident's
bigamy;
``(ii) the alien has been physically
present in the United States for a continuous
period of not less than 3 years immediately
preceding the date of such application, and the
issuance of a charging document for removal
proceedings shall not toll the 3-year period of
continuous physical presence in the United
States;
``(iii) the alien has been a person of good
moral character during such period, subject to
the provisions of subparagraph (C);
``(iv) the alien is not inadmissible under
paragraph (2) or (3) of section 212(a), is not
deportable under paragraphs (1)(G) or (2)
through (4) of section 237(a) (except in a case
described in section 237(a)(7) where the
Attorney General exercises discretion to grant
a waiver), and has not been convicted of an
aggravated felony; and
``(v) the removal would result in extreme
hardship to the alien, the alien's child, or
the alien's parent.
``(B) Physical presence.--Notwithstanding
subsection (d)(2), for purposes of subparagraph
(A)(i)(II) or for purposes of section 244(a)(3) (as in
effect before the title III-A effective date in section
309 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant
Responsibility Act of 1996), an alien shall not be
considered to have failed to maintain continuous
physical presence by reason of an absence if the alien
demonstrates a connection between the absence and the
battering or extreme cruelty perpetrated against the
alien. No absence or portion of an absence connected to
the battering or extreme cruelty shall count toward the
90-day or 180-day limits established in subsection
(d)(2). If any absence or aggregate absences exceed 180
days, the absences or portions of the absences will not
be considered to break the period of continuous
presence. Any such period of time excluded from the
180-day limit shall be excluded in computing the time
during which the alien has been physically present for
purposes of the 3-year requirement set forth in section
240A(b)(2)(B) and section 244(a)(3) (as in effect
before the title III-A effective date in section 309 of
the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant
Responsibility Act of 1996).
``(C) Good moral character.--Notwithstanding
section 101(f), an act or conviction that would be
waivable with respect to the alien for purposes of a
determination of the alien's admissibility under
section 212(a) or is waivable with respect to the alien
for purposes of the alien's deportability under section
237(a) shall not bar the Attorney General from finding
the alien to be of good moral character under
subparagraph (A)(i)(III) or section 244(a)(3) (as in
effect before the title III-A effective date in section
309 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act
of 1996), if the Attorney General finds that the act or conviction was
connected to the alien's having been battered or subjected to extreme
cruelty and determines that a waiver would be or is otherwise
warranted.
``(D) Credible evidence considered.--In acting on
applications under this paragraph, the Attorney General
shall consider any credible evidence relevant to the
application. The determination of what evidence is
credible and the weight to be given that evidence shall
be within the sole discretion of the Attorney
General.''.
(b) Children of Battered Aliens and Parents of Battered Alien
Children.--Section 240A(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8
U.S.C. 1229b(b)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(4) Children of battered aliens and parents of battered
alien children.--
``(A) In general.--The Attorney General shall grant
parole under section 212(d)(5) to any alien who is a--
``(i) child of an alien granted relief
under section 240A(b)(2) or 244(a)(3) (as in
effect before the title III-A effective date in
section 309 of the Illegal Immigration Reform
and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996); or
``(ii) parent of a child alien granted
relief under section 240A(b)(2) or 244(a)(3)
(as in effect before the title III-A effective
date in section 309 of the Illegal Immigration
Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of
1996).
``(B) Duration of parole.--The grant of parole
shall extend from the time of the grant of relief under
section 240A(b)(2) or section 244(a)(3) (as in effect
before the title III-A effective date in section 309 of
the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant
Responsibility Act of 1996) to the time the application
for adjustment of status filed by aliens covered under
this paragraph has been finally adjudicated.
Applications for adjustment of status filed by aliens
covered under this paragraph shall be treated as if
they were applications filed under section 204(a)(1)
(A)(iii), (A)(iv), (B)(ii), or (B)(iii) for purposes of
section 245 (a) and (c). Failure by the alien granted
relief under section 240A(b)(2) or section 244(a)(3)
(as in effect before the title III-A effective date in
section 309 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and
Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996) to exercise due
diligence in filing a visa petition on behalf of an
alien described in clause (i) or (ii) may result in
revocation of parole.''.
(c) Effective Date.--Any individual who becomes eligible for relief
by reason of the enactment of the amendments made by subsections (a)
and (b), shall be eligible to file a motion to reopen pursuant to
section 240(c)(6)(C)(iv). The amendments made by subsections (a) and
(b) shall take effect as if included in the enactment of section 304 of
the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996
(Public Law 104-208; 110 Stat. 587). Such portions of the amendments
made by subsection (b) that relate to section 244(a)(3) (as in effect
before the title III-A effective date in section 309 of the Illegal
Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996) shall take
effect as if included in subtitle G of title IV of the Violent Crime
Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (Public Law 103-322; 108 Stat.
1953 et seq.).
SEC. 505. OFFERING EQUAL ACCESS TO IMMIGRATION PROTECTIONS OF THE
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT OF 1994 FOR ALL QUALIFIED
BATTERED IMMIGRANT SELF-PETITIONERS.
(a) Eliminating Connection Between Battery and Unlawful Entry.--
Section 212(a)(6)(A)(ii) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8
U.S.C. 1182(a)(6)(A)(ii)) is amended--
(1) by striking subclause (I) and inserting the following:
``(I) the alien qualifies for
classification under subparagraph
(A)(iii), (A)(iv), (B)(ii), or (B)(iii)
of section 204(a)(i); and'';
(2) in subclause (II), by striking ``, and'' and inserting
a period; and
(3) by striking subclause (III).
(b) Eliminating Connection Between Battery and Violation of the
Terms of an Immigrant Visa.--Section 212(a)(9)(B)(iii)(IV) of the
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(9)(B)(iii)(IV)) is
amended by striking ``who would be described in paragraph (6)(A)(ii)''
and all that follows before the period and inserting ``who is described
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