Legal Immigration Family Equity Act of 2000
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The Legal Immigration Family Equity Act was passed by Congress in 2000 and signed by President Bill Clinton (D) on December 21, 2000. The law expanded temporary visa eligibility for immediate relatives of legal permanent residents and United States citizens. The law also allowed applicants for class-action status under three lawsuits against the Immigration and Naturalization Service to apply for legal status as permanent residents.
Background
The Legal Immigration Family Equity Act of 2000, or Title XI of HR 5548, was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representative Harold Rogers (R-Ky.) on October 25, 2000. The bill was then incorporated into HR 4942, which had been passed by the House by a vote of 217-207 on September 14, 2000. HR 4942 and its amendments was then passed again by the House by a vote of 206-198 on October 26, 2000. The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 48-43 on October 27, 2000. President Bill Clinton (D) signed the bill into law on December 21, 2000.[1][2]
Provisions
New temporary visa
The Legal Immigration Family Equity Act created a new temporary visa (V visa) for spouses and minor children of legal permanent residents who were themselves awaiting approval of permanent residency. The new visa allowed these spouses and children to visit their relatives in the United States and work while they awaited approval. Individuals must have been waiting for at least three years to qualify for the new visa.[3]
Under the law, individuals residing in the country without legal permission who met the qualifications above could apply to adjust their status with a V visa.[3]
Expansion of K visa eligibility
Previously, the K visa was for fiancées of U.S. citizens entering the country to marry. The Legal Immigration Family Equity Act expanded eligibility for this visa to non-citizen spouses and minor children of U.S. citizens who were awaiting approval of permanent residency. The visa allowed them to enter and work in the United States legally. Both individuals with pending applications and those planning to submit a future application were eligible under the law.[3]
Late amnesty lawsuits
The Legal Immigration Family Equity Act contained provisions regarding three class-action lawsuits against the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS): CSS v. Meese, LULAC v. Reno, and INS v. Zambrano. These lawsuits were filed against the INS for its implementation of the 1986 amnesty program, which granted legal status to 2.7 million individuals who had been residing in the United States without legal permission.[3][4]
The law allowed individuals who had applied for class-action status under one of these three these lawsuits and met other various conditions to apply for status as lawful permanent residents. Individuals eligible to apply were also granted a stay of deportation, allowed to work legally in the United States, and allowed to travel while their applications were pending.[3]
In addition, spouses and unmarried children of eligible individuals were granted relief from deportation (except when deportation proceedings were initiated due to criminal activity) and allowed to work legally in the United States.[3]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.R.5548 - Making appropriations for the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2001, and for other purposes," accessed March 15, 2017
- ↑ Congress.gov, "H.R.4942 - District of Columbia Appropriations Act, 2001," accessed March 15, 2017
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 USAVisaNow.com, "Legal Immigration and Family Equity Act (LIFE Act) Summary," accessed March 15, 2017
- ↑ ABC News, "The 1986 Immigration Reform Explained," May 5, 2013
