Break the Chain Act

Summary

Removes parents of adult U.S. citizens from the INA category of "immediate relatives," creates a new temporary nonimmigrant parent visa (a renewable 5-year "W" classification) with strict limits (no work, no public benefits, required private health insurance arranged by the U.S. citizen child), and changes family‑sponsored visa calculations and age‑out rules. The bill also blocks filing or approval of petitions that would treat parents as immediate relatives under the prior rules, sets October 1, 2025 as the effective date for the changes, and includes narrow transitional rules for a limited set of already‑approved petitions and visas.

• Parents of adult U.S. citizens are removed from the INA "immediate relative" category and no longer get that reserved immigrant pathway.
• A new 5‑year renewable nonimmigrant parent visa (W) is created with no work authorization, no public benefits, and mandatory private health insurance paid by the sponsoring citizen.
• Family‑sponsored worldwide visa numbers are recalculated using a new formula that reduces the pool by a deduction tied to certain parolees who remained in the U.S.
• Age‑out protections are revised: age is calculated at petition filing for some categories, and beneficiaries who marry or turn 25 before a visa is available lose eligibility.
• Existing and newly filed petitions that would classify parents under the old immediate‑relative rules are barred as of enactment, with a limited exception for some previously approved petitions.
• Affidavit of support and inadmissibility provisions are expanded to apply to the new W nonimmigrant classification, but enforceability of support for benefits is limited to time physically present in the U.S.
• Most changes take effect October 1, 2025; transitional rules tightly limit who can still obtain immigrant visas under prior rules.