Title 8Aliens and NationalityRelease 119-73not60

§1256 Rescission of Adjustment of Status; Effect Upon Naturalized Citizen

Title 8 › Chapter 12— IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY › Subchapter II— IMMIGRATION › Part V— Adjustment and Change of Status › § 1256

Last updated Apr 3, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Attorney General must cancel a person's permanent resident (green card) status if, within five years after it was granted, it is found that the person was not actually eligible. Once canceled, the person is treated under immigration law as if they had never been given that status. The Attorney General does not have to cancel the status before starting removal (deportation) proceedings, and an immigration judge’s removal order is enough to cancel it. If someone became a U.S. citizen because of that invalid change to permanent resident status and the change is later canceled, that person is treated as having gotten citizenship by hiding important facts or by lying and is handled under the rules that apply in those cases.

Full Legal Text

Title 8, §1256

Aliens and Nationality — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)If, at any time within five years after the status of a person has been otherwise adjusted under the provisions of section 1255 or 1259 of this title or any other provision of law to that of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence, it shall appear to the satisfaction of the Attorney General that the person was not in fact eligible for such adjustment of status, the Attorney General shall rescind the action taken granting an adjustment of status to such person and cancelling removal in the case of such person if that occurred and the person shall thereupon be subject to all provisions of this chapter to the same extent as if the adjustment of status had not been made. Nothing in this subsection shall require the Attorney General to rescind the alien’s status prior to commencement of procedures to remove the alien under section 1229a of this title, and an order of removal issued by an immigration judge shall be sufficient to rescind the alien’s status.
(b)Any person who has become a naturalized citizen of the United States upon the basis of a record of a lawful admission for permanent residence, created as a result of an adjustment of status for which such person was not in fact eligible, and which is subsequently rescinded under subsection (a) of this section, shall be subject to the provisions of section 1451 of this title as a person whose naturalization was procured by concealment of a material fact or by willful misrepresentation.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This chapter, referred to in subsec. (a), was in the original, “this Act”, meaning act June 27, 1952, ch. 477, 66 Stat. 163, known as the Immigration and Nationality Act, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 1101 of this title and Tables.

Amendments

1996—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 104–208, § 378(a), inserted at end “Nothing in this subsection shall require the Attorney General to rescind the alien’s status prior to commencement of procedures to remove the alien under section 1229a of this title, and an order of removal issued by an immigration judge shall be sufficient to rescind the alien’s status.” Pub. L. 104–208, § 308(e)(1)(H), substituted “removal” for “deportation”. 1994—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 103–416 struck out first three sentences which read as follows: “If, at any time within five years after the status of a person has been adjusted under the provisions of section 1254 of this title or under section 19(c) of the Immigration Act of February 5, 1917, to that of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence, it shall appear to the satisfaction of the Attorney General that the person was not in fact eligible for such adjustment of status, the Attorney General shall submit to the Congress a complete and detailed statement of the facts and pertinent provisions of law in the case. Such reports shall be submitted on the first and fifteenth day of each calendar month in which Congress is in session. If during the session of the Congress at which a case is reported, or prior to the close of the session of the Congress next following the session at which a case is reported, the Congress passes a concurrent resolution withdrawing suspension of deportation, the person shall thereupon be subject to all provisions of this chapter to the same extent as if the adjustment of status had not been made.”

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1996 AmendmentAmendment by section 308(e)(1)(H) of Pub. L. 104–208 effective, with certain transitional provisions, on the first day of the first month beginning more than 180 days after Sept. 30, 1996, see section 309 of Pub. L. 104–208, set out as a note under section 1101 of this title. Pub. L. 104–208, div. C, title III, § 378(b), Sept. 30, 1996, 110 Stat. 3009–649, provided that: “The amendment made by subsection (a) [amending this section] shall take effect on the title III–A

Effective Date

(as defined in section 309(a) of this division [set out as a note under section 1101 of this title]).”

Effective Date

of 1994 Amendment Pub. L. 103–416, title II, § 219(m), Oct. 25, 1994, 108 Stat. 4317, provided that the amendment made by section 219(m) is effective as of Oct. 25, 1994. Abolition of Immigration and Naturalization Service and

Transfer of Functions

For abolition of Immigration and Naturalization Service,

Transfer of Functions

, and treatment of related references, see note set out under section 1551 of this title. References to Order of Removal Deemed To Include Order of Exclusion and DeportationFor purposes of carrying out this chapter, any reference in law to an order of removal is deemed to include a reference to an order of exclusion and deportation or an order of deportation, see section 309(d)(2) of Pub. L. 104–208, set out in an

Effective Date

of 1996

Amendments

note under section 1101 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

8 U.S.C. § 1256

Title 8Aliens and Nationality

Last Updated

Apr 3, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60