Veterans Visa and Protection Act of 2026
Sponsored By: Representative Grijalva, Adelita S. [D-AZ-7]
In Committee
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.
Show full summary
- 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.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
Restore veterans benefits and citizenship access
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 service under existing rules. For naturalization, the Secretary would have to disregard removal-related grounds when judging good moral character and disregard time away due to removal or inadmissibility when counting continuous residence or physical presence if other requirements are met.
Protect veterans from deportation
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 violence. The Secretary would also have to ask about military service before starting removal, require supervisory approval to start removal against a service member or veteran, and keep detailed service and removal records and annotations.
Path to green card for veterans
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 let eligible veterans in the United States adjust to permanent resident status. Some veterans would be barred if they were removed for a crime of violence or for certain national-security crimes with at least a 5-year term, but the Secretary or Attorney General could waive those bars for humanitarian reasons, family unity, exceptional service, or public interest. The bill would not set a numerical limit on how many veterans could use this program.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Grijalva, Adelita S. [D-AZ-7]
AZ • D
Cosponsors
Rep. Correa, J. Luis [D-CA-46]
CA • D
Sponsored 5/21/2026
Rep. McIver, LaMonica [D-NJ-10]
NJ • D
Sponsored 5/21/2026
Rep. Larson, John B. [D-CT-1]
CT • D
Sponsored 5/21/2026
Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7]
IN • D
Sponsored 5/21/2026
Rep. Titus, Dina [D-NV-1]
NV • D
Sponsored 5/21/2026
Rep. Jackson, Jonathan L. [D-IL-1]
IL • D
Sponsored 5/21/2026
Rep. Davis, Danny K. [D-IL-7]
IL • D
Sponsored 5/21/2026
Rep. Krishnamoorthi, Raja [D-IL-8]
IL • D
Sponsored 5/21/2026
Rep. Moore, Gwen [D-WI-4]
WI • D
Sponsored 5/21/2026
Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]
DC • D
Sponsored 5/21/2026
Rep. Strickland, Marilyn [D-WA-10]
WA • D
Sponsored 5/21/2026
Rep. Green, Al [D-TX-9]
TX • D
Sponsored 5/21/2026
Rep. Carter, Troy A. [D-LA-2]
LA • D
Sponsored 8/27/2026
Rep. Magaziner, Seth [D-RI-2]
RI • D
Sponsored 9/15/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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