Uniting Families Act of 2021
Latest action. Referred to the subcommitteeA smaller panel inside a standing committee with jurisdiction over a slice of its subject matter. Most hearings and the first markup usually happen here.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) on Immigration and citizenshipFull membership in the national political community: the right to vote in federal elections, hold most federal offices, carry a U.S. passport, and never be deported.Read the full definition (opens a new tab).
Uniting Families Act of 2021
This bill establishes a nonimmigrant visa category for the adult alien children of a U.S. citizen who served in the Armed Forces.
To obtain a visa, the alien's citizen parent must petition and receive approval from the Department of Homeland Security. The petition shall include (1) DNA evidence establishing the parent-child relationship, (2) a written statement that the parent will provide financial support until the alien receives lawful permanent resident status, and (3) proof of the parent's U.S. citizenship and active duty with the Armed Forces abroad.
If the parent is deceased, an adult sibling of the alien may file the petition if the sibling is capable of providing financial support until the alien receives lawful permanent status. Such a petition must include evidence that the petitioner and the alien are siblings, such as birth certificates showing at least one common parent.
The period of authorized admission for aliens with the visa is five years, and 5,000 principal aliens may be admitted each fiscal year. Holders of such a visa may adjust to lawful permanent resident status after meeting various requirements, such as being admissible as an immigrant.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on July 19, 2021. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on November 1, 2022: Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 117th Congress (2021-22), 362 of the 15,242 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.4 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
RON KIND (D-WI) introduced it on July 19, 2021, and 1 member has since signed on as a cosponsor.
They are 1 Republican.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on July 19, 2021, 1879 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 1409 days ago, on November 1, 2022.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 117th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2023 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers