,i #aaeth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #abfc ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,february #bh1 #bjag,mr4 ,welch introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on the ,judiciary ,a ,,bill ,to exclude from the application of ,executive ,order #acgif certain ,iraqi and ,afghani special immigrants and refugees1 to render certain ,afghanis eligible for ,priority #b processing under the refugee resettlement priority system1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,protecting ,allies from ,visa ,exclusion 7,,pave7 ,act4 #b4 ,prohibition on entry inapplicable to certain special immigrants 7a7 ,iraqi special immigrants ,section #c7;c7 of ,executive ,order #acgfi1 entitled ,protecting the ,nation from ,foreign ,terrorist ,entry into the ,united ,states 7,january #bg1 #bjag71 or any other provision of an ,executive order1 regulation1 informal rule of guidance1 or memorandum issued by the ,president or any other official in the executive branch precluding issuance of visas to1 revoking visas issued to1 or precluding entry or admission of1 a class or classes of aliens1 shall not apply to an alien who is a national of ,iraq or ,afghanistan and has been granted special immigrant status under section #aja7;a77#bg7 of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aaja7;a77#bg77 pursuant to-- 7#a7 section #abdd of the ,national ,defense ,authorization ,act for ,fiscal ,year #bjjh 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aaeg note72 7#b7 section #ajei of the ,national ,defense ,authorization ,act for ,fiscal ,year #bjjf 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aaja note72 or 7#c7 section #fjb of the ,afghan ,allies ,protection ,act of #bjji 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aaja note74 7b7 ,refugees ,section #e of ,executive ,order #acgfi1 or any other provision of an ,executive order1 regulation1 informal rule of guidance1 or memorandum issued by the ,president or any other official in the executive branch precluding issuance of visas to1 revoking visas issued to1 or precluding entry or admission of1 a class or classes of aliens1 shall not apply to an alien who has been granted refugee status1 has been approved for refugee admission1 or is a refugee applicant in the ,united ,states ,refugee ,admissions ,program under a ,priority #b designation pursuant to section #abdc of ,national ,defense ,authorization ,act for ,fiscal ,year #bjjh 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aaeg note7 or section #c of this ,act4 7c7 ,effective date ,this section shall take effect as if enacted concurrent with ,executive ,order #acgfi4 #c4 ,united states refugee program processing priorities for ,afghanis 7a7 ,in general ,refugees of special humanitarian concern eligible for ,priority #b processing under the refugee resettlement priority system who may apply directly to the ,united ,states ,admission ,program shall include-- 7#a7 ,afghanis who were or are employed by the ,united ,states ,government in ,afghanistan2 7#b7 ,afghanis who establish to the satisfaction of the ,secretary of ,state that they are or were employed in ,afghanistan by-- 7,a7 a media or nongovernmental organization headquartered in the ,united ,states2 or 7,b7 an organization or entity closely associated with the ,united ,states mission in ,afghanistan that has received ,united ,states ,government funding through an official and documented contract1 award1 grant1 or cooperative agreement2 7#c7 spouses1 children1 and parents whether or not accompanying or following to join1 and sons1 daughters1 and siblings of aliens described in paragraph 7#a7 or paragraph 7#b72 7#d7 spouses1 children1 and parents whether or not accompanying or following to join1 and sons1 daughters1 and siblings of ,afghanis granted the status of a special immigrant under section #aja7;a77#bg7 of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aaja7;a77#bg77 based on faithful and valuable service to the ,united ,states ,government2 and 7#e7 ,afghanis who are members of a religious or minority community1 have been identified by the ,secretary of ,state1 or the designee of the ,secretary1 as a persecuted group1 and have close family members 7as described in section #bja7;b77#b77;,a77i7 or #bjc7;a7 of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aaea7;b77#b77;,a77i7 and #aaec7;a777 in the ,united ,states4 7b7 ,identification of other persecuted groups ,the ,secretary of ,state1 or the designee of the ,secretary1 is authorized to identify other ,priority #b groups of ,afghanis1 including vulnerable populations4 7c7 ,ineligible organizations and entities ,organizations and entities described in subsection 7a77#b7 shall not include any that appear on the ,department of the ,treasury's list of ,specially ,designated ,nationals or any entity specifically excluded by the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security1 after consultation with the ,secretary of ,state and the heads of relevant elements of the intelligence community 7as defined in section #c7d7 of the ,national ,security ,act of #aidg 7#ej ,u4,s4,c4 #dja;a7#d7774 7d7 ,applicability of other requirements ,aliens under this section who qualify for ,priority #b processing under the refugee resettlement priority system shall satisfy the requirements of section #bjg of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aaeg7 for admission to the ,united ,states4 7e7 ,numerical limitations ,in determining the number of ,afghani refugees who should be resettled in the ,united ,states under paragraphs 7#b71 7#c71 and 7#d7 of subsection 7a7 and subsection 7b7 of section #bjg of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aaeg71 the ,president shall consult with the heads of nongovernmental organizations that have a presence in ,afghanistan or experience in assessing the problems faced by ,afghani refugees4 7f7 ,eligibility for admission as refugee ,no alien shall be denied the opportunity to apply for admission under this section solely because such alien qualifies as an immediate relative or is eligible for any other immigrant classification4