SUMMARY: The U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 (H.R. 1177 and S.348) introduced in Congress establishes a path to citizenship for certain undocumented individuals. The bill also replaces the term alien with noncitizen in the immigration statutes and addresses other related issues.
Specifically, the bill establishes a new status of lawful prospective immigrant. This status shall be available to an applying noncitizen who meets certain requirements, including being continually present in the United States from January 1, 2021, and passing background checks. After at least five years with this status, an eligible noncitizen may apply for and receive permanent resident status.
The bill also provides permanent resident status to certain applying noncitizens, specifically for eligible noncitizens who (1) entered the United States as a minor, (2) were eligible for temporary protected status or deferred enforced departure on January 1, 2017, or (3) worked a certain amount of agricultural labor in the five years prior to applying.
STATUS: The U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 (H.R. 1177 and S.348) is still pending and is currently referred to various committees including the Judiciary Committee for hearing and consideration. No significant action has been taken on this Biden bill since its introduction.
There are two stand-alone bills that were approved by the U.S. House of Representatives in the month of March 2021. These are the American Dream and Promise Act and the Farm Workforce Modernization Act. Both of the provisions of these bills are also included in the broader U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021.
(This update is current as of July 19, 2021. Previous updates on the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 may be viewed here.)
