S. 2923: Protect Adoptees and American Families Act

This bill, known as the Protect Adoptees and American Families Act (PAAF Act), aims to amend existing immigration laws regarding the automatic acquisition of U.S. citizenship for certain internationally adopted individuals. Here are the key points of the legislation:

Automatic Citizenship

The bill proposes that individuals adopted by U.S. citizen parents will automatically become U.S. citizens if they meet specific criteria. These criteria include:

• The individual was adopted before turning 18 years old.
• The individual was physically present in the U.S. in the legal custody of the adoptive U.S. citizen parent, following legal admission, before reaching 18 years of age.
• The individual has not acquired U.S. citizenship prior to the enactment of this bill.
• The individual is residing in the U.S. on the date of the bill's enactment under lawful admission.

Conditions for Internationally Adopted Individuals

For adopted individuals who live outside the U.S., the bill articulates the following:

• If they meet the first three criteria mentioned above but are not physically present in the U.S. by the bill's enactment date, they will automatically become citizens the moment they arrive in the U.S. under lawful admission.
• The grounds for inadmissibility set out in the law will not apply to these individuals seeking entry into the U.S.
• However, any individual in this category must still undergo a criminal background check before being granted a visa. If a criminal issue arises during this check, it is mandated that the relevant authorities take appropriate actions to resolve it.

Overall Purpose

The overarching goal of the bill is to streamline the process for certain internationally adopted children to gain citizenship, thereby improving the legal status of adopted children and ensuring they have the same rights and protections as other U.S. citizens.

Conclusion

The PAAF Act is a legislative effort to facilitate smoother citizenship acquisition for specific categories of internationally adopted individuals, supporting family unity and stability.

Relevant Companies

None found