,,ii #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #gdb ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,march #ab1 #bjai ,mr4 ,johnson 7for himself1 ,ms4 ,ernst1 and ,mr4 ,cotton7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on the ,judiciary ,a ,,bill ,to protect children through eliminating visa loopholes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,protecting ,children ,through ,eliminating ,visa ,loopholes ,act4 #b4 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that-- 7#a7 the laws of the ,united ,states and the policies of the ,department of ,state aim to prevent and reduce the risks of child marriages1 sex trafficking1 and sexual abuse occurring throughout the world2 7#b7 major loopholes in ,federal law have allowed thousands of minors to be subjected to child marriages2 7#c7 under the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aaja et seq47-- 7,a7 a ,united ,states citizen child may petition for an immigrant visa for a spouse or fianc living in another country2 and 7,b7 a ,united ,states citizen adult may petition for an immigrant visa for a minor spouse or fianc living abroad2 7#d7 the ,united ,states ,government has advocated for preventing and reducing the occurrence of child marriages throughout the world2 7#e7 ,congress passed the ,violence ,against ,women ,reauthorization ,act of #bjac 7,public ,law #aac-d71 which requires the ,secretary of ,state to establish and implement a multiyear strategy-- 7,a7 to prevent child marriages2 and 7,b7 to promote the empowerment of girls at risk of child marriage in developing countries2 7#f7 acknowledges that although the ,federal ,government is limited in its ability to address child marriage within individual ,states1 establishing a minimum age of #ah years for marriage-based and fianc-based immigrant visa petitions is an immediate and viable solution for preventing child marriage through exploitation of the ,united ,states immigration system2 7#g7 affirms that child well being is a foremost priority and consideration when imposing strict age requirements for visa spousal and fianc petitions within the ,united ,states immigration system2 7#h7 recognizes that under the current immigration legal framework1 individuals may exploit visa marriage and fianc petitions for nefarious purposes1 including-- 7,a7 coercing forced marriages2 and 7,b7 the trafficking and abuse of children2 and 7#i7 acknowledges that between #bjjg and #bjag-- 7,a7 loopholes in the ,united ,states immigration laws resulted in the approval by ,u4,s4 ,citizenship and ,immigration ,services of #h1hfh petitions involving minors for spousal or fianc entry into the ,united ,states2 and 7,b7 girls were the younger party in #ie percent of such petitions4 #c4 ,protecting children through eliminating visa loopholes 7a7 ,definitions ,section #aja7;a7 of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aaja7;a77 is amended-- 7#a7 in paragraph 7#ae77,k7-- 7,a7 in the matter preceding clause 7i71 by striking 7p7 of section #bad1 an alien and inserting 7r7 of section #bad1 an alien who is at least #ah years of age2 and 7,b7 by inserting who is at least #ah years of age after a citizen of the ,united ,states each time such term appears2 and 7#b7 in paragraph 7#ce71 by adding at the end the following3 ,such terms do not include any individual who is younger than #ah years of age or who is married to an individual who is younger than #ah years of age44 7b7 ,effective date 7#a7 ,k nonimmigrants ,the amendments made by subsection 7a77#a7-- 7,a7 shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this ,act2 and 7,b7 shall apply to any petition or application seeking nonimmigrant status for any alien under section #aja7;a77#ae77,k7 of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aaja7;a77#ae77,k77 that is pending before any agency1 officer1 or employee of the ,united ,states on or after such date of enactment4 7#b7 ,spouse2 wife2 husband ,the amendment made by subsection 7a77#b7-- 7,a7 subject to subparagraphs 7,b7 and 7,c71 shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this ,act2 7,b7 subject to subparagraph 7,c71 shall apply to marriages entered into before1 on1 or after such date of enactment2 and 7,c7 shall apply to any petition or application for any status or benefit under the immigration laws 7as defined in section #aja7;a77#ag7 of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aaja7;a77#ag777 that is filed or otherwise submitted on or after such date of enactment1 except for a petition under section #baf of such ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aahf;a7 to remove the conditional basis of lawful permanent residence based upon a grant of conditional lawful permanent resident status before such date of enactment4 7c7 ,rule of construction ,the amendment made by subsection 7a77#b7-- 7#a7 shall apply to the immigration laws 7as defined in section #aja7;a77#ag7 of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aaja7;a77#ag7772 7#b7 may not be construed to affect or modify any reference to1 or legal effect of1 any marriage under any provision of the immigration laws using a term not defined by such amendment1 including whether any person is married or has been born in wedlock or legitimated for purposes of determining whether such person is a child or is a married or unmarried son or daughter2 and 7#c7 may not be construed to limit or modify the eligibility of any ,,vawa self-petitioner 7as defined in section #aja7;a77#ea7 of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aaja7;a77#ea777 for any available relief under the immigration laws4