Bill > S5606

This bill, titled the Hong Konger Promise of Refuge Act, allows certain residents of Hong Kong who were previously granted temporary protection in the United States to apply for lawful permanent resident status, commonly known as getting a green card. To qualify for this pathway, applicants must have been granted "Deferred Enforced Departure"—a temporary administrative stay that protects certain foreign nationals from being deported—via specific presidential memorandums issued in August 2021, January 2023, or January 2025. Additionally, applicants must have continuously lived in the U.S. since January 15, 2025, without returning to Hong Kong or China, must not have serious criminal records (defined as a felony or two or more misdemeanors), and must apply within one year of the bill becoming law. The legislation also extends these permanent residency benefits to the spouses and children of qualifying individuals, waives certain standard immigration violations, protects applicants from detention and deportation while their applications are pending, grants them work authorization, and exempts these status adjustments from standard numerical immigration caps.