Sponsors (221)
Official title: To authorize the cancellation of removal and adjustment of status of certain aliens, and for other purposes.
Introduced February 26, 2025 by Sylvia Garcia · Last progress February 26, 2025
The bill creates significant new pathways to permanent residency and practical supports for many long‑term residents (including DACA and TPS beneficiaries) but balances that relief with substantial fees, criminal bars, security vetting, potential administrative strain, and limits on oversight — shifting many people from temporary status toward stability while imposing eligibility, cost, and procedural trade‑offs.
Immigrants who arrived as children, had TPS/DED, or similar long‑term residents (including many DACA recipients) can apply for lawful permanent resident status, creating a durable legal pathway out of temporary programs.
Eligible applicants gain greater economic stability and access to work and benefits from permanent residency, improving job prospects and family economic security.
The bill streamlines procedures and reduces some administrative barriers — e.g., fee‑exempt or streamlined adjustment paths for certain DACA grantees, ability to apply without motions to reopen, withdrawal without prejudice, and protections for prima facie eligible applicants — making it easier to pursue relief.
Applicants (especially low‑income individuals) face significant costs: statutory fees can reach several hundred to over a thousand dollars and an added surcharge to fund counsel increases financial burden for many applicants.
Certain criminal convictions permanently bar relief and the bill preserves broad denial/ provisional denial and referral authorities, meaning longtime residents with some convictions could remain without relief and face enforcement risks.
Background checks, biometric requirements, and security vetting can delay approvals and may expose applicants with minor past records to prolonged review, slowing access to relief and work authorization.
Based on analysis of 6 sections of legislative text.
Creates conditional green-card pathways for eligible childhood arrivals and for nationals of former TPS/DED countries, sets application windows, background checks, fees, and limited waivers.
Creates two new immigration adjustment-of-status pathways: one giving conditional lawful permanent resident (LPR) status to certain long-term residents who arrived as children and meet presence, age, conduct, and education requirements; the other allowing nationals of countries formerly designated for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) to apply for LPR status after meeting presence and admissibility rules. The bill sets application windows, background-check and biometric requirements, fee rules, limited waiver authority for certain inadmissibility grounds, and procedural protections for applicants with prior removal orders.