Sponsors (24)
Official title: To authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security to adjust the status of certain aliens who are nationals of Venezuela to that of aliens lawfully admitted for permanent residence, and for other purposes.
Introduced February 13, 2025 by Darren Michael Soto · Last progress February 13, 2025
The bill creates a pathway to lawful permanent residence and legal work for eligible Venezuelan nationals present by Dec 31, 2021—enhancing stability and labor participation for immigrants—while limiting judicial review of denials and raising concerns about family eligibility exclusions, fiscal impacts, and public‑safety perceptions.
Venezuelan nationals who were physically present in the U.S. by Dec 31, 2021 and meet eligibility can become lawful permanent residents, giving them stable immigration status.
Applicants may remain in the U.S. while their application is pending and, after the statutory waiting period, receive work authorization so they can work legally and support themselves and local employers.
Certain inadmissibility grounds listed in INA 212(a) are waived for eligible applicants, reducing legal obstacles to obtaining lawful permanent resident status.
Immigrants seeking adjustment: the Secretary can make final adjustment determinations that are generally not subject to judicial review, limiting applicants' access to courts for most denials.
Parents, children, and other family members with disqualifying convictions (e.g., aggravated felonies, multiple crimes involving moral turpitude, persecution participation) will be barred, potentially separating families and denying relief to some long‑residing relatives.
Granting lawful permanent residence to a new group could increase demand for public services and benefits, potentially raising fiscal costs for taxpayers and state/local budgets.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Creates a limited three-year pathway to lawful permanent residence for eligible Venezuelan nationals (and qualifying family) who entered by Dec 31, 2021 and meet presence and admissibility rules.
Creates a three-year adjustment-of-status pathway to lawful permanent resident (green card) for certain Venezuelan nationals and qualifying immediate family members who entered the United States by December 31, 2021 and meet presence and admissibility rules. Applicants may apply regardless of prior removal/exclusion orders, may receive stays of removal and employment authorization while applications are pending, and certain INA inadmissibility grounds are waived, though serious criminal convictions and persecution involvement bar eligibility. The bill requires the Department of Homeland Security to adopt implementing regulations, counts limited absences (up to 180 days aggregate) as not interrupting required continuous presence, and provides that approval cancels prior removal orders while a final denial restores them as if no application were filed.