Sec. 2. Designation of certain residents of Hong Kong as Priority 2 refugees
546 words·~2 min read·
/bill/117/hr/461/ih/section-2A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
The Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security, shall designate as Priority 2 refugees of special humanitarian concern the following categories of aliens: Individuals who are residents of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region who suffered persecution, or have a well-founded fear of persecution, on account of their peaceful expression of political opinions or peaceful participation in political activities or associations. Individuals who have been formally charged, detained, or convicted on account of their peaceful actions as described in section 206(b)(2) of the United States-Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992 ( 22 U.S.C. 5726 ).
The spouses, children, and parents (as such terms are defined in subsections
(a)and
(b)of section 101 of the Immigration and Nationality Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1101 )) of individuals described in paragraph
(1)or (2), except such parents who are citizens of a country other than the People's Republic of China. The processing of individuals described in subsection
(a)for classification as refugees may occur in Hong Kong or in a third country. An alien may not be denied the opportunity to apply for admission as a refugee under this section primarily because such alien— qualifies as an immediate relative of a citizen of the United States; or is eligible for admission to the United States under any other immigrant classification. An applicant for admission to the United States from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region may not be denied primarily on the basis of a politically motivated arrest, detention, or other adverse government action taken against such applicant as a result of the participation by such applicant in protest activities. Aliens provided refugee status under this section shall not be counted against any numerical limitation under section 201, 202, 203, or 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1151 , 1152, 1153, or 1157). Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every 90 days thereafter, the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall submit a report on the matters described in paragraph
(2)to— the Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate; and the Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives. Each report required by paragraph
(1)shall include— the total number of applications that are pending at the end of the reporting period; the average wait-times for all applicants who are currently pending— employment verification; a prescreening interview with a resettlement support center; an interview with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; and the completion of security checks; and the number of denials of applications for refugee status, disaggregated by the reason for each such denial. Each report required by paragraph
(1)shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classified annex. The Secretary of State shall make each report submitted under this subsection available to the public on the internet website of the Department of State. Aliens granted status under this section as Priority 2 refugees of special humanitarian concern under the refugee resettlement priority system shall be considered to satisfy the requirements under section 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1157 ) for admission to the United States.
Connectionstraces to 4
Citation graph
cites case law
Sec. 2
Designation of certain residents of Hong Kong as Priority 2 refugees
Cites 4Cited by 0 across 0 sources