Federal RuleAug 21
62
DOL Rewrites Disability Rules for 'Merit-Based Opportunity' Push
RuleLabor DepartmentFederal Contract Compliance Programs OfficeSignificant Wallet
119-hr-6565119th Congress
Reuniting Families Act
Sponsored By: Representative Chu, Judy [D-CA-28]
Introduced
Summary
Expands family-based immigration and modernizes who counts as family. This bill would recapture unused immigrant visas, change country limits, and extend many immigration benefits to permanent partners and surviving relatives.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
7 provisions identified: 5 benefits, 0 costs, 2 mixed.
Easier cancellation of removal
If enacted, the bill would expand who can get cancellation of removal by lowering the continuous physical presence requirement from 10 years to 7 years and by broadening the definition of extreme hardship. It would create an affirmative application process so DHS can cancel removal and adjust status and would make admissions under this relief not count against numerical limits. The bill also requires DHS to write regulations for the new affirmative cancellation process.
More family and visa slots
If enacted, the bill would raise how many visas go to any one country (to 20% for a single state and 5% for others). It would increase family and employment visa totals by adding carryforward and recaptured unused visas, and raise the Diversity Visa cap from 55,000 to 80,000. The bill would make priority dates permanent so people keep their earliest filing date and exempt very long-pending approved petitions (older than 10 years) from visa number limits. It would also preserve certain Diversity Visa selectees blocked in 2017–2022.
Permanent partners and parentage rules
If enacted, the bill would add a new legal category called "permanent partner" and treat such partners like spouses in many immigration rules. It would set rules on how to prove a permanent partnership and expand which children count as dependents for those partners. It would also broaden who is treated as a parent for birth‑nationality purposes. At the same time, the bill makes knowingly entering a fraudulent partnership or marriage to evade immigration law a crime punishable by prison and fines.
Faster refugee family reunions
If enacted, the bill would create a new Priority 3 pathway to reunite refugees with close relatives and prioritizes those cases at U.S. posts. It would require most refugee screening and decisions within one year, except for rare national security delays when DHS already finds the applicant meets refugee rules. The State Department would make rules so embassy staff can refer and process resettlement and would allow separate travel for some family members when cases are on hold more than three months.
Stay of removal while cases proceed
If enacted, the bill would bar removal of people who are beneficiaries of certain immigrant petitions or applicants for specified nonimmigrant or special immigrant statuses while those petitions or appeals are pending, as long as they are prima facie eligible. It would allow filing and fee-free motions in cases where a qualifying relative died and let some people be considered for parole or adjustment despite prior removals tied only to such deaths. The bill would also replace the old April 30, 2001 cutoff with a deadline up to 5 years after enactment for some adjustment filings and require the fees be deposited into the Immigration Examinations Fee Account. DHS or the Attorney General could also waive certain inadmissibility or removal grounds for humanitarian, family unity, or public interest reasons.
Work permits for some H spouses
If enacted, the bill would require DHS to authorize employment for a spouse or child over age 16 who is admitted under certain H-category rules and is accompanying or following to join the principal H nonimmigrant. DHS would provide an "employment authorized" endorsement or other appropriate work permit so eligible family members can earn wages.
New bars and a young-person exception
If enacted, the bill would make willful misrepresentation of U.S. citizenship a ground for inadmissibility or deportability but would not apply that rule to someone who was under 21 when they lied. The bill would also change reentry bars for people previously removed: some returning within 5 years would be inadmissible, others within 10 years, and repeat removals or aggravated felonies could carry longer or indefinite bars. DHS can still allow reapplication early in some cases.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Chu, Judy [D-CA-28]
CA • D
Cosponsors
Rep. Ansari, Yassamin [D-AZ-3]
AZ • D
Sponsored 12/10/2025
Rep. Balint, Becca [D-VT-At Large]
VT • D
Sponsored 12/10/2025
Rep. Barragán, Nanette Diaz [D-CA-44]
CA • D
Sponsored 12/10/2025
Rep. Bonamici, Suzanne [D-OR-1]
OR • D
Sponsored 12/10/2025
Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7]
IN • D
Sponsored 12/10/2025
Rep. Castro, Joaquin [D-TX-20]
TX • D
Sponsored 12/10/2025
Rep. Crockett, Jasmine [D-TX-30]
TX • D
Sponsored 12/10/2025
Rep. DelBene, Suzan K. [D-WA-1]
WA • D
Sponsored 12/10/2025
Rep. Espaillat, Adriano [D-NY-13]
NY • D
Sponsored 12/10/2025
Rep. Frost, Maxwell [D-FL-10]
FL • D
Sponsored 12/10/2025
Rep. Garcia, Sylvia R. [D-TX-29]
TX • D
Sponsored 12/10/2025
Rep. Garcia, Robert [D-CA-42]
CA • D
Sponsored 12/10/2025
Rep. Gomez, Jimmy [D-CA-34]
CA • D
Sponsored 12/10/2025
Rep. Grijalva, Adelita S. [D-AZ-7]
AZ • D
Sponsored 12/10/2025
Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]
DC • D
Sponsored 12/10/2025
Rep. Jayapal, Pramila [D-WA-7]
WA • D
Sponsored 12/10/2025
Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" [D-GA-4]
GA • D
Sponsored 12/10/2025
Rep. Krishnamoorthi, Raja [D-IL-8]
IL • D
Sponsored 12/10/2025
Rep. Lieu, Ted [D-CA-36]
CA • D
Sponsored 12/10/2025
Rep. Matsui, Doris O. [D-CA-7]
CA • D
Sponsored 12/10/2025
Rep. McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2]
MA • D
Sponsored 12/10/2025
Rep. Meng, Grace [D-NY-6]
NY • D
Sponsored 12/10/2025
Rep. Nadler, Jerrold [D-NY-12]
NY • D
Sponsored 12/10/2025
Rep. Omar, Ilhan [D-MN-5]
MN • D
Sponsored 12/10/2025
Rep. Quigley, Mike [D-IL-5]
IL • D
Sponsored 12/10/2025
Rep. Ramirez, Delia C. [D-IL-3]
IL • D
Sponsored 12/10/2025
Rep. Sánchez, Linda T. [D-CA-38]
CA • D
Sponsored 12/10/2025
Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9]
IL • D
Sponsored 12/10/2025
Rep. Scott, Robert C. "Bobby" [D-VA-3]
VA • D
Sponsored 12/10/2025
Rep. Simon, Lateefah [D-CA-12]
CA • D
Sponsored 12/10/2025
Rep. Smith, Adam [D-WA-9]
WA • D
Sponsored 12/10/2025
Rep. Stansbury, Melanie A. [D-NM-1]
NM • D
Sponsored 12/10/2025
Rep. Takano, Mark [D-CA-39]
CA • D
Sponsored 12/10/2025
Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13]
MI • D
Sponsored 12/10/2025
Rep. Tokuda, Jill N. [D-HI-2]
HI • D
Sponsored 12/10/2025
Rep. Vargas, Juan [D-CA-52]
CA • D
Sponsored 12/10/2025
Rep. Velázquez, Nydia M. [D-NY-7]
NY • D
Sponsored 12/10/2025
Rep. Wasserman Schultz, Debbie [D-FL-25]
FL • D
Sponsored 12/10/2025
Rep. Mullin, Kevin [D-CA-15]
CA • D
Sponsored 1/6/2026
Rep. McClellan, Jennifer L. [D-VA-4]
VA • D
Sponsored 1/7/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov