Congressional Research Service Reports - 771 Matching Results
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- Alien Eligibility for Public Assistance
- This report details the changes in public assistance policy that the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. It established new restrictions on the eligibility of legal immigrants for designated means-tested public assistance, and also broadened restrictions on public benefits for temporary workers and people on work or school visas.
- Alien Eligibility for Public Assistance
- This report discusses the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, which affected alien eligibility for federal, state, and local government assistance programs, both imposing and broadening restrictions on a number of immigration benefits and programs.
- Immigration: Adjustment to Permanent Residence Status under Section 245(i)
- No Description Available.
- Immigration: Adjustment to Permanent Residence Status under Section 245(i)
- Under § 245 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, an alien in the U.S. who, on the basis of family relationship or job skills, becomes eligible for permanent resident status may adjust to that status in the United States without having to go abroad to obtain an immigrant visa. Historically, only those aliens who were here legally (e.g., as a student or a temporary skilled worker) could adjust status under § 245. In 1994, however, Congress enacted § 245(i). That provision, which was set to expire on September 30, 1997, allowed illegal aliens in the U.S. to adjust status under § 245 once they, because of family relationships or job skills, became eligible for permanent the residency provided they paid a surcharge fee.
- Immigration: Visa Waiver Pilot Program
- This report provides an overview of the issues regarding the Visa waiver pilot program.
- Immigration: Visa Waiver Pilot Program
- The Visa Waiver Pilot Program (VWPP) allows aliens traveling from certain designated countries to come to the United States as temporary visitors without having the immigration documents normally required to enter the United States. Some maintain it fosters international travel to the United States and eases the workload of the consular offices abroad. Others observe that it by-passes the most important screening step of who is permitted to enter the United States, cautioning that it may inadvertently stimulate immigration violations. The program was scheduled to expire on September 30, 1997, but temporary extensions were included in both Continuing Resolutions. The Commerce, Justice, State, and Judiciary (CJS) FY1998 appropriations act (P.L. 105- 119) contains an extension through April 30, 1998. Bills to formally extend the program have passed the Senate (S. 1178) and have been reported by the House Committee on the Judiciary (H.R. 2578). H.R. 2578 is expected to come to the House floor before the April recess.
- Immigration: The “H-2A” Temporary Agricultural Worker Program
- In recent years, there have been various legislative efforts to modify or supplement the existing H-2A temporary agricultural program authorized by the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Concern has centered on making the program easier for growers to use while still maintaining protections for domestic labor. Growers have made limited use of the program in the past and a few years ago program usage was in decline. Current trends, however, show an increase due in part to increased demand from tobacco growers. This report provides information on the H-2A program, illustrates current trends, discusses issues raised by the proposed changes, and tracks pending legislation.
- Immigration: The "H-2A" Temporary Agricultural Worker Program
- In recent years, there have been various legislative efforts to modify or supplement the existing H-2A temporary agricultural program authorized by the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Concern has centered on making the program easier for growers to use while still maintaining protections for domestic labor. Growers have made limited use of the program in the past and a few years ago program usage was in decline. Current trends, however, show an increase due in part to increased demand from tobacco growers. This report provides information on the H-2A program, illustrates current trends, discusses issues raised by the proposed changes, and tracks pending legislation.
- Immigration-Related Provisions of Selected Bills on Religious Persecution
- This report analyzes immigration-related provisions of H.R. 2431, the “Freedom from Religious Persecution Act,” as passed by the House on May 14, 1998, and S. 1868, the “International Religious Freedom Act,” as introduced in the Senate.
- Naturalization Trends, Issues, and Legislation
- Report discussing the processes by which immigrants can become U.S. citizens and various problems that impede the process: "This report analyzes the trends in naturalization, discusses the controversies and issues, and tracks the legislative proposals to reform the naturalization process" (Abstract).
- Puerto Rico: A Chronology of Political Status History
- This report outlines the chronology of the political status of Puerto Rico. In 1952, Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory since 1898, became a commonwealth. Since then at least three significantly different political status options have been offered by the three major political parties in Puerto Rico. On March 4, 1998, the House passed H.R. 856, a bill to address the political status of Puerto Rico, by a vote of 209-208. On June 23, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held an oversight hearing on issues raised by separate sovereignty and independence.
- Food Stamp Benefits for Legal Immigrants in P.L. 105-185
- The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA; P.L. 104-193) established significant new restrictions on the eligibility of legal immigrants, or "qualified aliens," for needs-based public assistance.' Previously, legal immigrants were eligible for public assistance on much the same basis as citizens. Food stamp eligibility will be provided for approximately 250,000 legal immigrants under P.L. 105-185, the "Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998," at a cost of $818 million for FY1999-FY2003. The food stamp eligibility provisions took effect on November 1, 1998.
- Immigration Fundamentals
- This report describes the fundamentals of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), which was enacted in 1952 and significantly amended since, most recently by the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996.
- The Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act: Hardship Relief and Long-Term Illegal Aliens
- No Description Available.
- Alien Eligibility for Public Assistance
- This report discusses the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, which affected alien eligibility for federal, state, and local government assistance programs, both imposing and broadening restrictions on a number of immigration benefits and programs.
- Alien Eligibility for Public Assistance
- This report discusses the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, which affected alien eligibility for federal, state, and local government assistance programs, both imposing and broadening restrictions on a number of immigration benefits and programs.
- Immigration: Nonimmigrant H-1B Specialty Worker Issues and Legislation
- Report on the issue of specialty worker immigration, with a specific focus on the balancing act between U.S. employer needs and U.S. worker opportunities.
- Immigration: Nonimmigrant H-1B Specialty Worker Issues and Legislation
- The 105 Congress is once again considering legislation pertaining to temporary alien workers, striving to balance the needs of U.S. employers with opportunities for U.S. workers. The largest category of these temporary alien workers are the H-1B nonimmigrants — professionals who work in specialty occupations. For the first time, the numerical limits on H-1B visas were reached prior to the end of FY1997, and the FY1998 ceiling was reached in May. Employers in “high tech” industries especially are urging Congress to eliminate the ceiling of 65,000, and legislation raising the H-1B ceiling as well as addressing other reforms has passed the Senate (S.1723).
- Immigration and Naturalization Service’s FY1999 Budget
- This report provides an overview of the immigration and naturalization service's budget during Fiscal Year 1999.
- Immigration: Visa Entry/Exit Control System
- This report provides background and analysis on Section 110 and issues related to increasing arrival/depature management at air, land, and sea ports of entry.
- Immigration: Visa Entry/Exit Control System
- Section 110 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRIRA; Division C of P.L. 104-208) mandates the development of an automated entry/exit control system to create a record for every alien departing from the United States and match it with the record for the alien arriving at the United States. Section 110 also requires that this system identify nonimmigrants who overstay the terms of their admission through online computer searching and that this the system is established at all international ports of entry by September 30, 1998.
- Immigration-Related Provisions of the ”International Religious Freedom Act” (p. l. 105-292)
- Report on the International Religious Freedom Act and how it affects asylum-based immigration, including training, guidelines, studies of expedited removal, and the exclusion of religious persecutors.
- Alien Eligibility for Public Assistance
- This report discusses how The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 has affected alien (illegal immigrants and nonimmigrants in the country) eligibility for federal, state, and local government assistance.
- Immigration-Related Welfare Provisions in 105th Congress Legislation
- Report on immigration-related welfare issues, including statistics, restrictions, past acts, and more.
- Immigration: Visa Entry/Exit Control System
- This report provides background and analysis on Section 110 and issues related to increasing arrival/departure management at air, land border, and sea ports of entry.
- Immigration: Visa Entry/Exit Control System
- Section 110 of the IllegalImmigrationReformand ImmigrantResponsibility Act of 1996 (IIRIRA; Division C of P.L. 104-208) mandates the development of an automated entry/exit control system to create a record for every alien departing from the United States and match it with the record for the alien arriving at the United States. Section 110 also requires that this system identify nonimmigrants who overstay the terms of their admission through online computer searching. The FY1999 Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act (P.L. 105-277) amends Section 110 to extend the original implementation deadline of September 30, 1998, to March 31, 2001, for land border and seaports of entry, but leaves the end of FY1998 deadline in place for airports of entry. Further, P.L. 105- 277 includes a clause directing that the entry/exit control system must “not significantly disrupt trade, tourism, or other legitimate cross-border traffic at land border ports of entry.”
- Immigration Legislation and Issues in the 105th Congress
- Immigration legislation enacted and considered in the 105th Congress can be divided into three categories: (1) legislation prompted by the major immigration and welfare legislation enacted in the 104th Congress; (2) legislation in response to the expiration dates of existing provisions; and (3) legislation which addressed emerging new issues -- issues that the 104th Congress did not address, or issues that arose since then.
- Criminal Aliens: Expanded Detention, Restricted Relief from Removal
- No Description Available.
- Immigration and Naturalization Services's FY2000 Budget
- For FY2000, the House-passed Commerce, Justice, State and the Judiciary appropriations act would provide $4.264 billion in total funding for the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), including $100 million to hire an additional 1,000 Border Patrol agents, and $200 million for additional detention space (H.R. 2670; H. Rept. 106-283). The Senate-passed bill would provide INS with $3.999 billion in total funding, including $101 million to hire an additional 1,000 Border Patrol agents, nearly $23 million for Border Patrol equipment, $10 million to continue deploying remote border surveillance technologies, $3 million for law enforcement support centers, and $1.5 million to establish new dedicated commuter lanes at ports of entry (S. 1217; S.Rept. 106-76). By comparison, the Administration had requested $4.270 billion.
- Kosovo: Refugee Assistance and Temporary Resettlement
- No Description Available.
- California's Proposition 187: A Brief Overview
- This report provides a brief overview of California's proposition 187, a 1994 ballot initiative to deny illegal aliens state benefits and to require reporting of illegal alien applicants for benefits to federal immigration officials.
- Immigration Fundamentals
- No Description Available.
- Immigration Fundamentals
- Report explaining the fundamentals of immigration in the United States including key terms, statistics, limits, and more.
- Refugee Admissions and Resettlement Policy: Facts and Issues
- No Description Available.
- The South Lebanon Army (SLA): History, Collapse, Post-Withdrawal Status
- This report provides historical background on the South Lebanon Army (SLA), its collapse, and the status of its members following Israel's withdrawal.
- Immigration and Naturalization Service Reorganization and Related Legislative Proposals
- The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), with a current annual budget of $4.3 billion, is the primary agency charged with enforcing the nation's immigration law. Regulating immigration can be viewed as having two basic components: stemming illegal immigration (enforcement) and facilitating legal immigration (service). The Administration is moving forward to restructure the agency internally by separating the agency's enforcement and service functions, but maintains that the immigration function must be managed by a single executive who can integrate immigration policy, standards, and operations. There is no statutory requirement that the Administration gain Congress's formal approval of its plan to restructure INS. Congress, however, could choose to mandate legislatively that INS be dismantled or restructured differently.
- Immigration Legislation and Issues in the 106th Congress
- In the months approaching China's resumption of sovereignty over Hong Kong on July 1, 1997, policy analysts are trying to assess how the territory will fare under Chinese rule. The answer is important to U.S. interests because of the enormous U.S. economic presence in Hong Kong; because any adverse developments in Hong Kong are likely to affect U.S.-China relations; and because China's promise to give Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy under the "one-China, two-systems" policy has major implications for Taiwan. But given the political situation, the American ability to affect the course of events in Hong Kong seems marginal unless the U.S. decides to confront Beijing more directly. Developments in U.S.-China relations in 1994-1995 suggest Washington might be hesitant to do so.
- Refugee Assistance in the Foreign Aid Bill: Problems and Prospects
- The United States is the largest national contributor to international humanitarian assistance programs for refugees. Traditionally, we contribute to refugee appeals both because of our wish to alleviate the suffering of innocent victims and out of concern that refugee flows can lead to instability in countries or regions important to U.S. foreign policy interests.
- Immigration Legislation and Issues in the 106th Congress
- This report briefs the Immigration legislation and issues in the 106th Congress.
- Immigration: Legislative Issues on Nonimmigrant Professional Specialty (H-1B) Workers
- No Description Available.
- OSHA Reform: "Partnership" with Employers
- No Description Available.
- Immigration of Agricultural Guest Workers: Policy, Trends, and Legislative Issues
- This report discusses the revision of U.S. immigration policy on agricultural guest workers that are coming from various perspectives, and several major bills have already been introduced in the 107th Congress
- Immigration Legislation in 106th Congress
- No Description Available.
- Refugee Assistance in the Foreign Aid Bill: Problems and Prospects
- No Description Available.
- Immigration and Naturalization Service Reorganization and Related Legislative Proposals
- The Immigration and NaturalizationService (INS), with a current annual budget of $5.0 billion, is the primary agency charged with enforcing the nation’s immigration law. Regulating immigration can be viewed as having two basic components:stemming illegal immigration (enforcement) and facilitating legal immigration (service). The Bush Administration supports separating service from enforcement. While no legislation to restructure INS has been introduced in the 107th Congress at this date, it is likely that proposals will be introduced in the future, since restructuring may necessitate amending existing statutory authorities. For now, Members of Congress, who support restructuring INS, are waiting to review the Bush Administration’s plan before introducing legislation themselves.
- The Federal Emergency Immigrant Education Program
- This report discusses the Federal Emergency Immigrant Education Program.
- Immigration: Legislative Issues on Nonimmigrant Professional Specialty (H-1B) Workers
- No Description Available.
- An Information Technology Labor Shortage? Legislation in the 106th Congress
- No Description Available.
- Terrorism: Automated Lookout Systems and Border Security Options and Issues
- No Description Available.
- Immigration and Naturalization Service Reorganization and Related Legislative Proposals
- The Immigration and NaturalizationService (INS), with a current annual budget of $5.0 billion, is the primary agency charged with enforcing the nation’s immigration law. Regulating immigration can be viewed as having two basic components:stemming illegal immigration (enforcement) and facilitating legal immigration (service). The Bush Administration supports separating service from enforcement. While no legislation has been acted upon in the 107th Congress at this date, restructuring proposals may be considered in the future, since restructuring may necessitate amending existing statutory authorities.