Immigration Technical Corrections Act of 1988
Public Law 100-525 · S. 2479 · 100th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Oct 24, 1988 · Immigration
Sponsor: Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA)
Cosponsors (3): Sen. Alan Simpson, Sen. Joseph Biden,
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateVoice vote
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Immigration Technical Corrections Act of 1988 - Makes technical amendments to provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) as amended by the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA) with respect to: (1) employer sanctions in connection with control of unlawful employment of aliens; (2) unfair immigration-related employment practices; (3) unlawful transportation of aliens to the United States; and (4) restrictions on adjustment of status.
Makes an immigration-related technical correction in the Higher Education Act of 1965 with respect to educational assistance.
Makes technical corrections of the INA with respect to the legalization of alien status, including amendments to: (1) include developmentally disabled individuals as eligible for waivers from basic citizenship skill requirements; and (2) permit exceptions to confidentiality requirements for specified Government reporting purposes.
Makes technical amendments to the IRCA to: (1) authorize the Attorney General to waive misrepresentation of a relevant material fact as a reason to exclude Cuban-Haitian aliens from admission into the United States; and (2) make World War II Nazis ineligible for a record of lawful admission for permanent residence. Amends provisions relating to: (1) State legalization impact-assistance grants in connection with special agricultural workers; and (2) temporary agricultural workers under the H-2A program.
Amends INA provisions relating to G-1V special immigrants.
Makes technical amendments of ICRA provisions concerning the visa waiver pilot program for certain visitors.
Amends the IRCA to limit to one percent the portion of funds appropriated for the Commission for the Study of International Migration and Cooperative Economic Development that may be spent on official entertainment.
Makes technical amendments of the INA with respect to: (1) visa waivers for nonimmigrant visitors to Guam; and (2) the nationality of certain American Samoans.
Makes technical revisions and corrections of INA provisions amended by the Department of Justice Appropriation Act, 1987, the Narcotics Traffickers Deportation Act, and the Refugee Assistance Extension Act of 1986.
Makes technical amendments of the Immigration Marriage Fraud Amendments of 1986, including a limitation on adjustment of status petitions of alien fiance(e)s of U.S. citizens ("K" nonimmigrants).
Makes technical amendments of the Immigation and Nationality Act Amendments of 1986, including amendments in connection with effective dates of various provisions affecting the nationality of children born out of wedlock to at least one American parent.
Makes various other technical amendments and corrections of the INA.
Committees
The record shows no committee referral for this bill.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 6 actions.
- Oct 24, 1988Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 100-525.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Oct 14, 1988PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Oct 6, 1988FloorFloor · Passed House by Voice Vote.
- Jun 7, 1988FloorFloor · Introduced in the Senate, read twice, considered, read the third time, and passed without amendment by Voice Vote.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the Senate
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.