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H.R. 1909 · 117th Congress

Citizenship for Essential Workers Act

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Never voted on. It didn't reach a floor vote before the 117th Congress ended, so it expired. A bill has to be introduced again to be considered in a new Congress.

JCD CastroSponsor
78 cosponsors · 78 D
AAD Adams EBD Blumenauer JBD Beatty NBD Barragán ABD Brown YCD Clarke GCD Connolly JCD Chu DCD Cicilline TCD Cárdenas JCD Correa SCD Carbajal DDD Davis DDD DeGette RDD DeLauro VDD Demings MDD Dean AED Espaillat VED Escobar RGD Grijalva AGD Green RGD Gallego JGD Gomez CGD García SGD Garcia HJD Johnson PJD Jayapal SJD Jacobs MJD Jones RKD Khanna TLD Leger Fernandez BLD Lee ALD Lowenthal TLD Lieu JMD McGovern BMD McCollum GMD Meng END Norton GND Napolitano MND Newman FPD Pallone BRD Rush ASD Smith LSD Sánchez DSD Soto TSD Suozzi MTD Takano RTD Torres NVD Velázquez JVD Vargas FVD Vela NWD Williams JCD Crow KKD Kahele ASD Sires PWD Welch ZLD Lofgren JND Nadler RRD Ruiz ACD Carson NTD Torres MVD Veasey JYD Yarmuth AMD McEachin JND Neguse LTD Trahan PAD Aguilar JAD Auchincloss DTD Titus CCD Crist DMD Matsui SJD Jackson Lee JRD Raskin CPD Pingree MQD Quigley IOD Omar RTD Tlaib MDD DeSaulnier

52 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.

This bill establishes a mechanism for eligible aliens who worked as essential workers during the declared COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency to apply for and obtain permanent resident status. The bill also narrows certain grounds for deportability and inadmissibility.

What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in House · Mar 16, 2021

Citizenship for Essential Workers Act

This bill establishes a mechanism for eligible aliens who worked as essential workers during the declared COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency to apply for and obtain permanent resident status. The bill also narrows certain grounds for deportability and inadmissibility.

To be eligible for permanent resident status under this bill, an alien must have earned income at any point during the COVID-19 emergency period doing work deemed essential by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or a state or local government. An alien may also be eligible if that alien is a parent, spouse, or child of (1) an eligible alien who died from COVID-19, or (2) a member of the Armed Forces. Certain aliens shall be ineligible, such as an alien who was a refugee on January 1, 2021.

To obtain permanent resident status under this bill, an applying alien must satisfy additional requirements, including by passing a background check.

Furthermore, the bill repeals provisions providing for three-year bars and permanent bars to admission into the United States. (Generally, these bars apply to aliens who were previously removed or unlawfully present in the United States.)

The bill also narrows the scope of certain crime-based grounds for inadmissibility or deportability, such as by redefining the term conviction to exclude expunged convictions.

The Department of Justice or DHS may waive certain grounds of inadmissibility or deportability (1) for humanitarian purposes, (2) to ensure family unity, or (3) for the public interest.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov

About this bill and sources

Official title: Citizenship for Essential Workers Act

Latest action (May 18, 2021): Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship.

Policy area: Immigration · Origin: House · Introduced: Mar 16, 2021

Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)

No recorded floor vote found.