# 119-hr-8971: Veterans Visa and Protection Act of 2026

119-hr-8971, Veterans Visa and Protection Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Grijalva, Adelita S. [D-AZ-7] (D-AZ); status in_committee (as of 2026-10-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8971
- As of: 2026-10-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-8971
- Congress: 119
- Title: Veterans Visa and Protection Act of 2026
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2026-05-21
- Sponsor: Rep. Grijalva, Adelita S. [D-AZ-7] (D-AZ)
- Cosponsors: 15
- Policy area: Immigration
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-11

## Summary

**Restoring lawful permanent residency for eligible noncitizen veterans** is the bill's core goal. It would create a program to admit or adjust veterans who were removed or face removal, provide protections against many removals, allow targeted waivers for humanitarian and family reasons, and enable paths to naturalization and access to military and veterans benefits. - Noncitizen veterans and service members would be able to return as lawful permanent residents or adjust status in removal proceedings. The program would have no numerical limits and would bar removal except for convictions for a crime of violence with a sentence of at least 5 years, and eligible removal orders could be reopened or terminated. - Families could gain relief because the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Attorney General would have waiver authority for humanitarian reasons, family unity, exceptional military service, or when in the public interest to overcome certain criminal or inadmissibility bars. - Those who obtain lawful permanent residence under the program would be eligible for military and veterans benefits as if they had not been removed and could pursue naturalization under special military service rules. The bill would require DHS to establish the program and application process within 180 days, issue implementing regulations within 90 days, and maintain records and supervisory approval steps for removals of service members and veterans.

## Cosponsors (15)

- Rep. Moulton, Seth [D-MA-6] (D-MA), 2026-10-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Correa, J. Luis [D-CA-46] (D-CA), 2026-05-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McIver, LaMonica [D-NJ-10] (D-NJ), 2026-05-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Larson, John B. [D-CT-1] (D-CT), 2026-05-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7] (D-IN), 2026-05-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Titus, Dina [D-NV-1] (D-NV), 2026-05-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Jackson, Jonathan L. [D-IL-1] (D-IL), 2026-05-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Davis, Danny K. [D-IL-7] (D-IL), 2026-05-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Krishnamoorthi, Raja [D-IL-8] (D-IL), 2026-05-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Moore, Gwen [D-WI-4] (D-WI), 2026-05-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2026-05-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Strickland, Marilyn [D-WA-10] (D-WA), 2026-05-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Green, Al [D-TX-9] (D-TX), 2026-05-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carter, Troy A. [D-LA-2] (D-LA), 2026-08-27T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Magaziner, Seth [D-RI-2] (D-RI), 2026-09-15T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Restore veterans benefits and citizenship access: benefit, high. If enacted, a noncitizen who becomes a lawful permanent resident through this program would be eligible for the same military and veterans benefits they would have had if they had not been removed. Those new lawful permanent residents would also be able to pursue U.S. citizenship based on military…
- Protect veterans from deportation: benefit, high. If enacted, the Attorney General would have 180 days to review pending and final removal cases for eligible veterans and reopen or rescind orders when a veteran is eligible. The bill would generally bar removal of a noncitizen veteran or service member unless they have been convicted of a crime of…
- Path to green card for veterans: mixed, high. If enacted, the Secretary of Homeland Security would have to set up a program within 180 days and issue implementing rules within 90 days so eligible noncitizen veterans could apply for lawful permanent residence. The program would let eligible veterans abroad be admitted as permanent residents and…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025
- 119-hr-15: Equality Act
- 119-hr-1589: American Dream and Promise Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-8971 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8971)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-51)
- [119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4206)
- [119-hr-15: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-15)
- [119-hr-1589: American Dream and Promise Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1589)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8971 (as of 2026-10-11).