,i #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #dhgc ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,october #bh1 #bjai,mr4 ,crow 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,waltz1 ,mr4 ,langevin1 ,mr4 ,bacon1 ,mr4 ,blumenauer and ,mr4 ,moulton7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on the ,judiciary1 and in addition to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,a ,,bill ,to provide for special immigrant status for ,syrian ,kurds and other ,syrians who partnered with the ,united ,states ,government in ,syria1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,syrian ,partner ,protection ,act4 #b4 ,special immigrant status for certain ,syrian ,kurds and other ,syrians who worked for the ,united ,states ,government in ,syria 7a7 ,in general ,subject to subsection 7c77#a71 and notwithstanding any other provision of law1 for purposes of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aaja et seq471 the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security may provide an alien described in subsection 7b7 with the status of a special immigrant under section #aja7;a77#bg7 of such ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aaja7;a77#bg77 if-- 7#a7 the alien1 or an agent acting on behalf of the alien1 submits a petition to the ,secretary under section #bjd of such ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aaed7 for classification under section #bjc7;b77#d7 of such ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aaec7;b77#d772 7#b7 the alien is otherwise eligible to receive an immigrant visa2 and 7#c7 the alien is otherwise admissible to the ,united ,states for permanent residence 7excluding the grounds for inadmissibility specified in section #bab7;a77#d7 of such ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aahb7;a77#d7774 7b7 ,aliens described 7#a7 ,in general ,an alien described in this subsection-- 7,a7 7i7 is a citizen or national of ,syria or a stateless person who has habitually resided in ,syria2 7ii7 has partnered with1 was employed by1 or worked for or directly with the ,united ,states ,government in ,syria as an interpreter1 translator1 intelligence analyst1 or in another sensitive and trusted capacity1 on or after ,january #a1 #bjad1 for an aggregate period of not less than #a year2 and 7iii7 provided service to the ,united ,states efforts against the ,islamic ,state1 which has been documented in a positive recommendation or evaluation2 or 7,b7 7i7 is the spouse or child of a principal alien described in subparagraph 7,a72 and 7ii7 7,i7 is following or accompanying to join the principal alien in the ,united ,states2 or 7,,ii7 due to the death of the principal alien1 a petition to follow or accompany to joint the principal alien in the ,united ,states-- 7aa7 was revoked1 terminated1 or otherwise rendered null2 and 7bb7 would have been approved if the principal alien had survived4 7#b7 ,employment requirements ,an application by a surviving spouse or a child of a principal alien shall be subject to the employment requirements set forth in paragraph 7#a77;,a7-- 7,a7 as of the date on which the principal alien first filed an application for special immigrant status2 or 7,b7 if no such application has been filed1 the employment requirements as of the date on which the principal alien died4 7c7 ,membership in certain ,syrian organizations ,an applicant for admission to the ,united ,states under this section may not be deemed inadmissible based on membership in1 participation in1 or support provided to1 the ,syrian ,democratic ,forces or other partner organizations as determined by the ,secretary of ,defense4 7d7 ,numerical limitations 7#a7 ,in general ,except as otherwise provided under this subsection1 the total number of principal aliens who may be provided special immigrant status under this section may not exceed #d1jjj in any of the #e fiscal years beginning after the date of the enactment of this ,act4 7#b7 ,exclusion from numerical limitations ,aliens provided special immigrant status under this section shall not be counted against any numerical limitation under section #bja7;d71 #bjb7;a71 or #bjc7;b77#d7 of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aaea7;d71 #aaeb7;a71 and #aaec7;b77#d774 7#c7 ,carry forward ,if the numerical limitation set forth in paragraph 7#a7 is not reached during a fiscal year1 the numerical limitation under such paragraph for the following fiscal year shall be increased by a number equal to the difference between-- 7,a7 the number of visas authorized under paragraph 7#a7 for such fiscal year2 and 7,b7 the number of principal aliens provided special immigrant status under this section during such fiscal year4 7e7 ,visa and passport issuance and fees ,an alien described in subsection 7b7 may not be charged any fee in connection with an application for1 or the issuance of1 a special immigrant visa under this section4 ,the ,secretary of ,state shall ensure that aliens who are issued a special immigrant visa under this section are provided with an appropriate passport necessary for admission to the ,united ,states4 7f7 ,protection of aliens ,the ,secretary of ,state1 in consultation with other relevant ,federal agencies1 shall provide an alien described in subsection 7b7 who is applying for a special immigrant visa with protection or the immediate removal from ,syria or other nearby countries if the ,secretary determines that such alien is in imminent danger4 7g7 ,application process 7#a7 ,representation ,an alien applying for admission to the ,united ,states as a special immigrant under this section may be represented during the application process1 including at relevant interviews and examinations1 by an attorney or other accredited representative4 ,such representation shall not be at the expense of the ,united ,states ,government4 7#b7 ,completion ,the ,secretary of ,state and the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security1 in consultation with the ,secretary of ,defense1 shall ensure that applications for special immigrant visas under this section are processed in such a manner to ensure that all steps under the control of the respective departments incidental to the issuance of such visas1 including required screenings and background checks1 are completed not later than #i months after the date on which an eligible alien submits all required materials to apply for such visa4 7#c7 ,rule of construction ,notwithstanding paragraph 7#b71 any ,secretary referred to in paragraph 7#b7 may take longer than #i months to complete the steps incidental to issuing a visa under this section if the ,secretary1 or the designee of the ,secretary-- 7,a7 determines that the satisfaction of national security concerns requires additional time2 and 7,b7 notifies the applicant of such determination4 7#d7 ,appeal ,an alien whose petition for status as a special immigrant is rejected or revoked-- 7,a7 shall receive a written decision that provides1 to the maximum extent feasible1 information describing the basis for the denial1 including the facts and inferences underlying the individual determination2 and 7,b7 shall be provided not more than #a written appeal per rejection or denial1 which-- 7i7 shall be submitted not more than #abj days after the date on which the applicant receives a decision pursuant to subparagraph 7,a72 7ii7 may request the reopening of such decision2 and 7iii7 shall provide additional information1 clarify existing information1 or explain any unfavorable information4 7h7 ,eligibility for other immigrant classification ,an alien may not be denied the opportunity to apply for admission under this section solely because such alien qualifies as an immediate relative of a national of the ,united ,states or is eligible for admission to the ,united ,states under any other immigrant classification4 7i7 ,resettlement support ,an alien who is granted special immigrant status under this section shall be eligible for the same resettlement assistance1 entitlement programs1 and other benefits as is available to refugees admitted under section #bjg of the ,immigration and ,naturalization ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aaeg74 7j7 ,authority ,to carry out administrative measures ,the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security and the ,secretary of ,state shall implement any additional administrative measures as they consider necessary and appropriate-- 7#a7 to ensure the prompt processing of applications under this section2 7#b7 to preserve the integrity of the program established under this section2 and 7#c7 to protect the national security interests of the ,united ,states related to such program4 7k7 ,rulemaking ,not later than #ij days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security shall promulgate regulations to carry out this section1 including establishing requirements for background checks4 #c4 ,special immigrant status reporting requirement 7a7 ,in general ,the ,inspector ,general of the ,department of ,state shall submit an annual report described in subsection 7b71 no later than ,january #cj of each year1 with a classified annex if necessary1 to-- 7#a7 the ,committee on ,judiciary1 the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations1 and the ,committee on ,armed ,services of the ,senate2 and 7#b7 the ,committee on ,judiciary1 the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs1 and the ,committee on ,armed ,services of the ,house of ,representatives4 7b7 ,contents ,the report submitted under subsection 7a7 shall evaluate the implementation of the ,syrian special immigrant status program under section #b1 including1 for the previous calendar year-- 7#a7 the number of petitions filed2 7#b7 the number of petitions-- 7,a7 pending adjudication2 7,b7 pending visa interview2 and 7,c7 pending security checks2 7#c7 the number of petitions that were denied2 7#d7 the number of cases that have exceeded the mandated processing time and relevant case numbers2 and 7#e7 an accounting of any obstacles discovered that would hinder effective implementation of the program4 7c7 ,consultation ,in preparing the report under subsection 7a71 the ,inspector ,general shall consult with-- 7#a7 the ,department of ,state1 ,bureau of ,consular ,affairs1 ,visa ,office2 7#b7 the ,department of ,state1 ,bureau of ,near ,eastern ,affairs and ,south and ,central ,asian ,affairs1 ,executive ,office2 7#c7 the ,united ,states embassy in ,kabul1 ,afghanistan1 ,consular ,section2 7#d7 the ,united ,states embassy in ,baghdad1 ,iraq1 ,consular ,section2 7#e7 the ,department of ,homeland ,security1 ,u4,s4 ,citizenship and ,immigration ,services2 7#f7 the ,department of ,defense2 and 7#g7 nongovernmental organizations providing legal aid in the special immigrant visa application process4 7d7 ,publication ,the non-classified portion of the report described in this section shall be published on the website of the ,department of ,state4