Reuniting Families Act

Bill Number

H.R. 6565

Origin Chamber

House

Congress

119th Congress, Session 1

Policy Area

Immigration

Status

Introduced

Latest Action

2025-12-10: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Last Updated

2026-01-14T02:45:22Z

AI-Generated Summary

Purpose

The Reuniting Families Act (H.R. 6565) aims to strengthen family unity in U.S. immigration policy by reducing backlogs in family-based visas, expanding protections for families (including same-sex partners), increasing diversity in immigration, and prioritizing refugee family reunification. It amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to make the system more inclusive and efficient, addressing delays, discrimination, and barriers to family separation.

Key Provisions

The bill is divided into four titles, each targeting specific aspects of immigration law.

Title I: Reducing Family-Based Visa Backlogs and Promoting Family Reunification

• Visa Recapture (Sec. 101): Recaptures unused immigrant visas from fiscal years 1992–2025 for family-sponsored (480,000 base) and employment-based (140,000 base) categories, plus unused visas from the prior year, to clear backlogs.
• Reclassification of Family Members (Sec. 102): Treats spouses, permanent partners, and minor children of lawful permanent residents as "immediate relatives" (no visa cap), increasing annual allocations for other family categories (e.g., from 23,400 to 127,200 for certain preferences).
• Country Limits Adjustment (Sec. 103): Raises per-country visa caps from 7% to 20% for individual countries and from 2% to 5% for dependents, reducing wait times for high-demand nations.
• Promoting Family Unity (Sec. 104): Repeals harsh re-entry bars (3/10-year and permanent) for previously removed individuals; adds waivers for inadmissibility and deportability on humanitarian or family unity grounds; eases penalties for minor misrepresentations (e.g., under age 21).
• Relief for Orphans, Widows, and Widowers (Sec. 105): Allows petitions within 2 years of a relative's death; provides parole and adjustment options for those previously removed due to the death; preserves visa validity post-death.
• Filipino Veterans Exemption (Sec. 106): Exempts certain Philippine veterans' family members from visa limits.
• Fiancee Child Protection (Sec. 107): Protects children's status if parents marry after visa issuance; uses petition filing date for age calculations.
• Equal Treatment for Stepchildren (Sec. 108): Removes age limit (18) for stepchild recognition, regardless of marriage timing.
• Priority Date Retention (Sec. 109): Allows beneficiaries to keep earliest priority dates across petitions; makes dates permanent.
• Relief for Spouses/Children on Other Visas (Sec. 110): Grants work authorization to dependents on E, H, L, O visas; extends H-4 status for aging-out children.
• Extension of Adjustment Period (Sec. 111): Extends eligibility for status adjustment under INA Section 245(i) for 5 years post-enactment.
• Expanded Cancellation of Removal (Sec. 112): Reduces physical presence requirement from 10 to 7 years; allows "extreme hardship" to self or family; adds affirmative process without numerical caps for certain family ties.
• Prohibition on Removal (Sec. 113): Bars removal of those with pending immigrant petitions, nonimmigrant applications (T, U, V), or cancellation requests.

Title II: Uniting American Families Act

• Definitions (Secs. 201–202): Defines "permanent partner" and "permanent partnership" as committed, financially interdependent relationships (age 18+), unavailable due to inability to marry; includes them in "child" definitions for biological/adopted children of partners.
• Visa Allocations and Procedures (Secs. 203–205): Applies per-country limits and allocations to permanent partners; treats them equally in petitions, fraud prevention, and rights survival after death.
• Refugee and Asylum Extensions (Secs. 206–208): Includes permanent partners as derivatives for refugees/asylees.
• Inadmissibility and Waivers (Sec. 209): Extends waivers (health, criminal, misrepresentation) to permanent partners.
• Nonimmigrant and Conditional Status (Secs. 210–213): Grants derivative nonimmigrant status; applies conditional permanent residency rules to partners of spouses/entrepreneurs.
• Deportation and Cancellation (Secs. 214–216): Includes partners in protections against deportation and cancellation eligibility.
• Adjustment and Naturalization (Secs. 217–220): Eases adjustment for partners; applies fraud penalties to sham partnerships; allows naturalization for partners abroad.
• Other Applications (Secs. 221–223): Extends benefits to LIFE Act and Cuban Adjustment Act beneficiaries; updates nationality at birth to include assisted reproductive tech and spousal recognition.

Title III: Promoting Diversity and Protecting Against Discrimination

• Increasing Diversity Visas (Sec. 301): Raises annual diversity visa cap from 55,000 to 80,000.
• Addressing Bans (Sec. 302): Restores eligibility for diversity visas lost due to 2017–2020 travel bans (e.g., Muslim/African bans) or COVID-19 delays.

Title IV: Addressing the Needs of Refugee Families

• Prioritization (Sec. 401): Mandates prioritizing family reunification in refugee processing; allows simultaneous refugee/immigrant applications; enables separate travel for held cases; requires embassy referrals.
• Priority 3 Cases (Sec. 402): Expands family reunification (Priority 3) to all nationalities, including stateless persons; covers spouses/partners, children under 21, parents; allows derivatives and case-by-case additions for humanitarian reasons (file within 5 years).
• Timely Adjudication (Sec. 403): Entitles refugee family members (spouses, children, parents, guardians) to derivative status without caps; requires adjudication within 1 year (exceptions for security); preserves parent classification if child ages out.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Visa System Overhaul: Recaptures millions of unused visas, reclassifies family categories to eliminate caps for immediate relatives of permanent residents, and raises country limits—potentially clearing decades-long backlogs.
• Inclusion of Permanent Partners: Broadly integrates same-sex and non-marital committed relationships into family immigration, asylum, refugee, and naturalization provisions, equating them to spouses.
• Repeal of Bars and Expansions: Removes permanent re-entry bars, expands waivers for humanitarian/family reasons, and prohibits removals during pending applications—reversing restrictive policies like those in the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996.
• Diversity and Refugee Reforms: Increases diversity visas; counters past bans' effects; universalizes Priority 3 for refugees and mandates faster processing.
• Child and Family Protections: Locks in ages/priority dates at petition filing; equalizes stepchildren; aids aging-out dependents.

Potential Impacts

• Government Agencies: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and Department of State face increased workload from recaptured visas, new petitions, and adjudication deadlines, requiring more resources for processing (e.g., 1-year refugee timelines). Could reduce long-term backlogs but strain short-term capacity.
• Citizens and Immigrants: Speeds family reunification, benefiting millions in backlogged categories (e.g., from India, Mexico, Philippines); provides relief to separated families, LGBTQ+ partners, and refugees; eases adjustment for long-term residents, potentially increasing legal immigration by hundreds of thousands annually.
• International Relations: Enhances U.S. image as inclusive by addressing discrimination (e.g., bans) and prioritizing global refugee families; may improve ties with affected countries through faster processing, but could face criticism if implementation lags.

Main Stakeholders Affected

• Families and Immigrants: Primary beneficiaries—immediate relatives, permanent partners (especially LGBTQ+ couples), orphans/widows, refugees/asylees, and diversity visa applicants from underrepresented nations.
• U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents: Gain faster sponsorship of family members; veterans' families (e.g., Filipino) and those with deported relatives benefit from waivers/parole.
• Refugee and Advocacy Groups: NGOs aiding family reunification and anti-discrimination efforts see expanded tools.
• Government Entities: USCIS, State Department, and immigration courts handle more cases; employers benefit from employment-based recaptures.
• Vulnerable Populations: Stepchildren, aging-out dependents, and those impacted by past bans or COVID delays.

Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications

• Legal: Aligns with INA's family unity emphasis but challenges fraud provisions by equating permanent partnerships to marriages, requiring evidence of good faith; expands discretionary waivers, potentially increasing litigation over denials.
• Constitutional: Supports equal protection (14th Amendment) by including non-traditional families, countering discrimination claims from past policies; preserves due process via removal prohibitions during appeals.
• Political: Promotes progressive immigration reform amid debates on backlogs and inclusivity; could polarize along partisan lines, with supporters viewing it as humane and critics as amnesty-like; enacts via congressional authority over immigration, avoiding executive overreach seen in prior bans.

This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.

Sponsor

Rep. Chu, Judy [D-CA-28]

Cosponsors (40)

Rep. Ansari, Yassamin [D-AZ-3], Rep. Balint, Becca [D-VT-At Large], Rep. Barragán, Nanette Diaz [D-CA-44], Rep. Bonamici, Suzanne [D-OR-1], Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7], Rep. Castro, Joaquin [D-TX-20], Rep. Crockett, Jasmine [D-TX-30], Rep. DelBene, Suzan K. [D-WA-1], Rep. Espaillat, Adriano [D-NY-13], Rep. Frost, Maxwell [D-FL-10], Rep. Garcia, Sylvia R. [D-TX-29], Rep. Garcia, Robert [D-CA-42], Rep. Gomez, Jimmy [D-CA-34], Rep. Grijalva, Adelita S. [D-AZ-7], Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large], Rep. Jayapal, Pramila [D-WA-7], Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" [D-GA-4], Rep. Krishnamoorthi, Raja [D-IL-8], Rep. Lieu, Ted [D-CA-36], Rep. Matsui, Doris O. [D-CA-7], Rep. McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2], Rep. Meng, Grace [D-NY-6], Rep. Nadler, Jerrold [D-NY-12], Rep. Omar, Ilhan [D-MN-5], Rep. Quigley, Mike [D-IL-5], Rep. Ramirez, Delia C. [D-IL-3], Rep. Sánchez, Linda T. [D-CA-38], Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9], Rep. Scott, Robert C. "Bobby" [D-VA-3], Rep. Simon, Lateefah [D-CA-12], Rep. Smith, Adam [D-WA-9], Rep. Stansbury, Melanie A. [D-NM-1], Rep. Takano, Mark [D-CA-39], Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13], Rep. Tokuda, Jill N. [D-HI-2], Rep. Vargas, Juan [D-CA-52], Rep. Velázquez, Nydia M. [D-NY-7], Rep. Wasserman Schultz, Debbie [D-FL-25], Rep. Mullin, Kevin [D-CA-15], Rep. McClellan, Jennifer L. [D-VA-4]

Recent Actions

• 2025-12-10: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
• 2025-12-10: Introduced in House
• 2025-12-10: Introduced in House

Bill Versions

• Reuniting Families Act — issued 2025-12-10 — PDF (70 pages)

Related Bills

• S. 3419 (119th Congress)