# 117-hr-4276: Hong Kong People’s Freedom and Choice Act of 2021

117-hr-4276, Hong Kong People’s Freedom and Choice Act of 2021, is a 117th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Malinowski, Tom [D-NJ-7] (D-NJ); status Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship. (as of 2025-11-18).

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## Facts
- Bill: 117-hr-4276
- Congress: 117
- Title: Hong Kong People’s Freedom and Choice Act of 2021
- Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship.
- Introduced: 2021-06-30
- Sponsor: Rep. Malinowski, Tom [D-NJ-7] (D-NJ)
- Cosponsors: 27
- Policy area: Immigration
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2025-11-18

## Summary

Hong Kong People's Freedom and Choice Act of 2021 This bill provides for temporary protected status (TPS) for qualifying Hong Kong residents and contains other immigration-related provisions. Hong Kong shall be treated as a TPS-designated territory for 18 months starting from this bill's enactment. (Qualifying nationals of a TPS-designated territory or country may not be removed from the United States and shall have employment authorization while the designation is in effect.) Furthermore, Hong Kong shall be treated as separate from China for the purposes of various numerical limitations on immigrant visas. (In the treaty that transferred sovereignty of Hong Kong to China, China pledged that Hong Kong "will enjoy a high degree of autonomy.") The bill also establishes Priority Hong Kong Resident status for qualified individuals. To obtain such status, an individual must meet certain requirements, such as having resided in Hong Kong for at least ten years as of the day of this bill's enactment and not having citizenship in any jurisdiction other than China, Hong Kong, or Macau. For seeking refugee status or asylum, a Priority Hong Kong Resident may establish a well-founded fear of persecution based on various factors, such as fear based on the individual's significant role in certain protests against China's encroachment into Hong Kong's autonomy. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or the Department of State may provide special immigrant status to an eligible Priority Hong Kong Resident with a bachelor's or graduate degree if DHS determines that doing so would provide a significant benefit to the United States.

## Cosponsors (27)

- Rep. Kinzinger, Adam [R-IL-16] (R-IL), 2021-06-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Meeks, Gregory W. [D-NY-5] (D-NY), 2021-06-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1] (R-PA), 2021-06-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bera, Ami [D-CA-6] (D-CA), 2021-06-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Stewart, Chris [R-UT-2] (R-UT), 2021-06-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lowenthal, Alan S. [D-CA-47] (D-CA), 2021-06-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Davis, Rodney [R-IL-13] (R-IL), 2021-06-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Phillips, Dean [D-MN-3] (D-MN), 2021-06-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Taylor, Van [R-TX-3] (R-TX), 2021-06-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2] (D-MA), 2021-06-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Kim, Young [R-CA-40] (R-CA), 2021-06-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Khanna, Ro [D-CA-17] (D-CA), 2021-06-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Wilson, Joe [R-SC-2] (R-SC), 2021-06-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Porter, Katie [D-CA-47] (D-CA), 2021-06-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Crenshaw, Dan [R-TX-2] (R-TX), 2021-06-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Cicilline, David N. [D-RI-1] (D-RI), 2021-06-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tenney, Claudia [R-NY-24] (R-NY), 2021-06-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Raskin, Jamie [D-MD-8] (D-MD), 2021-06-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Steel, Michelle [R-CA-48] (R-CA), 2021-06-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Connolly, Gerald E. [D-VA-11] (D-VA), 2021-06-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Cheney, Liz [R-WY-At Large] (R-WY), 2021-06-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Suozzi, Thomas R. [D-NY-3] (D-NY), 2021-06-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Gonzalez, Anthony [R-OH-16] (R-OH), 2021-06-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Kim, Andy [D-NJ] (D-NJ), 2021-06-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Moore, Blake D. [R-UT-1] (R-UT), 2021-06-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Allred, Colin Z. [D-TX-32] (D-TX), 2021-06-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA] (D-CA), 2022-07-28T00:00:00.000Z

## Related bills

- 117-hr-2471: Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022
- 117-hres-881: Condemning the heinous terrorist attack on Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, on January 15, 2022.
- 117-hr-3537: Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act
- 117-hr-5577: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 3900 Crown Road Southwest in Atlanta, Georgia, as the "John R. Lewis Post Office Build…
- 117-hr-2748: Israel Relations Normalization Act of 2021
- 117-hr-1085: To award three congressional gold medals to the United States Capitol Police and those who protected the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

## Sources
- [117-hr-4276 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4276)

## Related
- [117-hr-2471: Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-2471)
- [117-hres-881: Condemning the heinous terrorist attack on Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyvi…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hres-881)
- [117-hr-3537: Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-3537)
- [117-hr-5577: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 3900 C…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-5577)
- [117-hr-2748: Israel Relations Normalization Act of 2021](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-2748)
- [117-hr-1085: To award three congressional gold medals to the United States Capitol Police an…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-1085)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-4276 (as of 2025-11-18).