An act to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide preferential treatment in the admission of certain children of United States citizens.
Public Law 97-359 · S. 1698 · 97th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Oct 22, 1982 · Immigration
Sponsor: Sen. Jeremiah Denton (R-AL)
Cosponsors (41): Sen. Carl Levin, Sen. Samuel Hayakawa,
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.
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to give first or fourth visa preference (sons and daughters of U.S. citizens) to an alien who was fathered by a U.S. citizen after 1950 in Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Kampuchea, or Thailand.
Requires in the case of an alien under 18 years old that sponsorship has been arranged through a licensed welfare agency and that written emigration permission has been given by the mother or guardian.
Requires a five-year financial support guarantee (or until the applicant is 21 years old, whichever is longer) signed by a U.S. citizen or permanent resident who is at least 21 years old and of good moral character. Requires a sponsor to assume legal custody of an applicant under 18 years old until such applicant's eighteenth birthday.
Allows the Attorney General to enforce such guarantee against the sponsor in a civil suit in U.S. district court unless such sponsor dies or is adjudicated bankrupt.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Judiciary Committee · Senate · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Constitution Subcommittee
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. 15 actions.
- Oct 22, 1982Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 97-359.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Oct 12, 1982PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Oct 1, 1982Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to the House amendments by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Passed House (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Called up by House by Unanimous Consent.
- Sep 28, 1982FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment and an amendment to the Title by Voice Vote.
- Sep 23, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Judiciary Committee
- Sep 21, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Judiciary Committee
- Aug 19, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Constitution Subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Constitution Subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee
- Jun 21, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Constitution Subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee
- Oct 6, 1981CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Constitution Subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee
- Oct 1, 1981CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee
- 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.