,i  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #idd  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of   
,,representatives  ,march #d1 #bjac ,mr4
 ,garcia introduced the following bill2 
which was referred to the ,committee on 
the ,judiciary  ,a ,,bill  ,to provide  
for eligibility for relief from removal 
for certain ,venezuelans4  #a4 ,short   
title ,this ,act may be cited as the    
,venezuelan ,liberty ,act4  #b4         
,adjustment of status of certain        
,venezuelans  7a7 ,adjustment of status 
7#a7 ,in general ,the status of any     
alien described in subsection 7b7 shall 
be adjusted by the ,secretary of        
,homeland ,security to that of an alien 
lawfully admitted for permanent         
residence1 if the alien--  7,a7 applies 
for such adjustment before ,april #a1   
#bjad2 and  7,b7 is otherwise admissible
 to the ,united ,states for permanent   
residence1 except in determining such   
admissibility the grounds for           
inadmissibility specified in paragraphs 
7#d71 7#e71 7#f77;,a71 7#g77;,a71 and   

7#i77;,b7 of section #bab7;a7 of the    
,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h  
,u4,s4,c4 #aahb7;a77 shall not apply4   
7#b7 ,rules in applying certain         
provisions ,in the case of an alien     
described in subsection 7b7 or 7d7 who  
is applying for adjustment of status    
under this section--  7,a7 the          
provisions of section #bda7;a77#e7 of   
the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act  
7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #abca7;a77#e77 shall not  
apply2 and  7,b7 the ,secretary of      
,homeland ,security may grant the alien 
a waiver on the grounds of              
inadmissibility under subparagraphs 7,a7
 and 7,c7 of section #bab7;a77#i7 of    
such ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aahb7;a77#i774 
,in granting waivers under subparagraph 
7,b71 the ,secretary shall use standards
 used in granting consent under         
subparagraphs 7,a77iii7 and 7,c77ii7 of 
such section #bab7;a77#i74  7#c7        
,relationship of application to certain 
orders ,an alien present in the ,united 
,states who has been ordered excluded1  

deported1 removed1 or ordered to depart 
voluntarily from the ,united ,states    
under any provision of the ,immigration 
and ,nationality ,act may1              
notwithstanding such order1 apply for   
adjustment of status under paragraph    
7#a74 ,such an alien may not be         
required1 as a condition of submitting  
or granting such application1 to file a 
separate motion to reopen1 reconsider1  
or vacate such order4 ,if the ,secretary
 of ,homeland ,security grants the      
application1 the ,attorney ,general     
shall cancel the order4 ,if the         
,secretary of ,homeland ,security       
renders a final administrative decision 
to deny the application1 the order shall
 be effective and enforceable to the    
same extent as if the application had   
not been made4  7b7 ,aliens eligible for
 adjustment of status  7#a7 ,in general 
,the benefits provided by subsection 7a7
 shall apply to any alien who is a      
national of ,venezuela and who has been 
physically present in the ,united       

,states for a continuous period1        
beginning on a date during the required 
presence period and ending on the date  
the application for adjustment under    
such subsection is adjudicated1 except  
an alien shall not be considered to have
 failed to maintain continuous physical 
presence by reason of an absence1 or    
absences1 from the ,united ,states for  
any periods not exceeding #ahj days4    
7#b7 ,proof of commencement of          
continuous presence ,for purposes of    
establishing that the period of         
continuous physical presence referred to
 in paragraph 7#a7 commenced during the 
required presence period1 an alien--    
7,a7 shall demonstrate that the alien1  
during the required presence period--   
7i7 applied to the ,secretary of        
,homeland ,security for asylum2  7ii7   
was issued an order to show cause under 
the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act2 
7iii7 was placed in exclusion1          
deportation1 or removal proceedings     
under such ,act2  7iv7 applied for      

adjustment of status under section #bde 
of such ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #abee72  7v7 
applied to the ,secretary of ,homeland  
,security for employment authorization2 
7vi7 performed service1 or engaged in a 
trade or business1 within the ,united   
,states which is evidenced by records   
maintained by the ,commissioner of      
,social ,security2 or  7vii7 applied for
 any other benefit under the            
,immigration and ,nationality ,act by   
means of an application establishing the
 alien's presence in the ,united ,states
 during the required presence period2 or
  7,b7 shall make such other            
demonstration of physical presence as   
the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security   
may provide for by regulation4  7c7     
,stay of removal2 work authorization    
7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of     
,homeland ,security shall provide by    
regulation for an alien subject to a    
final order of removal to seek a stay of
 such order based on the filing of an   
application under subsection 7a74  7#b7 

,during certain proceedings             
,notwithstanding any provision of the   
,immigration and ,nationality ,act1 the 
,attorney ,general shall not order any  
alien to be removed from the ,united    
,states if the alien is in removal      
proceedings under any provision of such 
,act and has applied for adjustment of  
status under subsection 7a71 except     
where the ,secretary of ,homeland       
,security has rendered a final          
administrative determination to deny the
 application4  7#c7 ,work authorization 
,the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security  
may authorize an alien who has applied  
for adjustment of status under          
subsection 7a7 to engage in employment  
in the ,united ,states during the       
pendency of such application and may    
provide the alien with an employment    
authorized endorsement or other         
appropriate document signifying         
authorization of employment1 except that
 if such application is pending for a   
period exceeding #ahj days1 and has not 

been denied1 the ,secretary of ,homeland
 ,security shall authorize such         
employment4  7d7 ,adjustment of status  
for spouses and children  7#a7 ,in      
general ,the status of an alien shall be
 adjusted by the ,secretary of ,homeland
 ,security to that of an alien lawfully 
admitted for permanent residence1 if--  
7,a7 the alien is a national of         
,venezuela2  7,b7 the alien--  7i7 is   
the spouse1 child1 or unmarried son or  
daughter of an alien whose status is    
adjusted to that of an alien lawfully   
admitted for permanent residence under  
subsection 7a71 except that in the case 
of such an unmarried son or daughter1   
the son or daughter shall be required to
 establish that the son or daughter has 
been physically present in the ,united  
,states for a continuous period         
beginning on a date during the required 
presence period and ending on the date  
on which the application for adjustment 
under this subsection is adjudicated2 or
  7ii7 was1 at the time at which an     

alien filed for adjustment under        
subsection 7a71 the spouse or child of  
an alien whose status is adjusted1 or   
was eligible for adjustment1 to that of 
an alien lawfully admitted for permanent
 residence under subsection 7a71 and the
 spouse1 child1 or child of the spouse  
has been battered or subjected to       
extreme cruelty by the alien that filed 
for adjustment under subsection 7a72    
7,c7 the alien applies for such         
adjustment and is physically present in 
the ,united ,states on the date the     
application is filed2  7,d7 the alien is
 otherwise admissible to the ,united    
,states for permanent residence1 except 
in determining such admissibility the   
grounds for inadmissibility specified in
 paragraphs 7#d71 7#e71 7#f77;,a71      
7#g77;,a71 and 7#i77;,b7 of section     
#bab7;a7 of the ,immigration and        
,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4         
#aahb7;a77 shall not apply2 and  7,e7   
applies for such adjustment before      
,april #a1 #bjad4  7#b7 ,proof of       

continuous presence ,for purposes of    
establishing the period of continuous   
physical presence referred to in        
paragraph 7#a77;,b71 an alien--  7,a7   
shall demonstrate that such period      
commenced during the required presence  
period in a manner consistent with      
subsection 7b77#b72 and  7,b7 shall not 
be considered to have failed to maintain
 continuous physical presence by reason 
of an absence1 or absences1 from the    
,united ,states for any period not      
exceeding #ahj days4  7e7 ,availability 
of administrative review ,the ,secretary
 of ,homeland ,security shall provide to
 applicants for adjustment of status    
under subsection 7a7 the same right to1 
and procedures for1 administrative      
review as are provided to applicants for
 adjustment of status under section #bde
 of the ,immigration and ,nationality   
,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #abee74  7f7 ,no     
offset in number of visas available     
,when an alien is granted the status of 
having been lawfully admitted for       

permanent residence pursuant to this    
section1 the ,secretary of ,state shall 
not be required to reduce the number of 
immigrant visas authorized to be issued 
under any provision of the ,immigration 
and ,nationality ,act4  7g7 ,definition 
,for purposes of this ,act1 the term    
required presence period means the      
period beginning on ,february #b1 #aiii1
 and ending on ,march #d1 #bjac4  7h7   
,application of ,immigration and        
,nationality ,act provisions ,except as 
otherwise specifically provided in this 
section1 the definitions contained in   
the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act  
shall apply in the administration of    
this section4 ,nothing contained in this
 section shall be held to repeal1 amend1
 alter1 modify1 affect1 or restrict the 
powers1 duties1 functions1 or authority 
of the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security
 in the administration and enforcement  
of such ,act or any other law relating  
to immigration1 nationality1 or         
naturalization4 ,the fact that an alien 

may be eligible to be granted the status
 of having been lawfully admitted for   
permanent residence under this section  
shall not preclude the alien from       
seeking such status under any other     
provision of law for which the alien may
 be eligible4