Skip to content
PoliticalRepoPoliticalRepo

United States · Bill · HR

H.R. 5695 (114th)

Veterans Visa and Protection Act of 2016

referredUnited States· United States Congress· EN

Introduced

8 July 2016

Last action

11 August 2016 · Referred

Status

Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel.

Sponsors

Rep. Grijalva, Raúl M. [D-AZ-7], Rep. Vela, Filemon [D-TX-34], Rep. Green, Gene [D-TX-29], Rep. Vargas, Juan [D-CA-52], Rep. Hinojosa, Ruben [D-TX-15], Rep. Honda, Michael M. [D-CA-15], Rep. McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2], Rep. Watson Coleman, Bonnie [D-NJ-12], Rep. Napolitano, Grace F. [D-CA-32], Rep. Conyers, John, Jr. [D-MI-13], Rep. Chu, Judy [D-CA-28], Rep. Takano, Mark [D-CA-39], Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" [D-GA-4], Rep. Cárdenas, Tony [D-CA-29], Rep. Moulton, Seth [D-MA-6], Rep. Gutierrez, Luis V. [D-IL-4], Sen. Gallego, Ruben [D-AZ], Rep. Lieu, Ted [D-CA-36], Rep. Veasey, Marc A. [D-TX-33], Rep. Lowenthal, Alan S. [D-CA-47], Rep. Cicilline, David N. [D-RI-1], Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9], Rep. Green, Al [D-TX-9]

Subjects

Defence, Immigration

Source updated

12 August 2025

Defence · Immigration

Summary

Veterans Visa and Protection Act of 2016 This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to: (1) establish a program to permit eligible deported noncitizen veterans to enter the United States as, and to permit eligible noncitizen veterans in the United States to adjust their status to that of, a noncitizen lawfully admitted for permanent residence; and (2) cancel the removal of eligible noncitizen veterans and allow them to similarly adjust their status. An "eligible" veteran is a veteran who: (1) was not ordered removed, or removed, from the United States due to a criminal conviction for a crime of violence or for a crime that endangers U.S. national security for which the noncitizen served at least five years' imprisonment; and (2) is not inadmissible to, or deportable from, the United States due to such a conviction. DHS may waive such eligibility requirements for humanitarian purposes, to assure family unity, due to exceptional service in the U.S. Armed Forces, or if such waiver otherwise is in the public interest. A noncitizen veteran or service member shall not be removed from the United States unless he or she has a criminal conviction for a crime of violence. A noncitizen who has obtained the status of a noncitizen lawfully admitted for permanent residence under this bill shall be eligible for naturalization through service in the U.S. Armed Forces, except that: (1) the grounds on which the noncitizen was ordered removed from, or rendered inadmissible to or deportable from, the United States shall be disregarded when determining whether the noncitizen is a person of good moral character; and (2) any period of absence from the United States due to the noncitizen having been removed or being inadmissible shall be disregarded when determining if the noncitizen satisfies any requirement relating to continuous residence or physical presence. A noncitizen who has obtained the status of a noncitizen lawfully admitted for permanent residence under this bill shall be eligible for all military and veterans benefits for which the individual would have been eligible if he or she had never been been removed from, or voluntarily departed, the United States. DHS shall: (1) identify cases involving service members and veterans at risk of removal from the United States, and (2) annotate all DHS immigration and naturalization records relating to any noncitizen involved and afford an opportunity to track the outcome.

This text is taken from the official record. PoliticalRepo does not editorialize.

Timeline

  1. 8 July 2016

    Introduced

    Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services, and Veterans' Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

    Source: IntroReferral

  2. 8 July 2016

    Introduced

    Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services, and Veterans' Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

    Source: IntroReferral

  3. 8 July 2016

    Introduced

    Introduced in House

    Source: IntroReferral

  4. 8 July 2016

    Introduced

    Introduced in House

    Source: IntroReferral

  5. 14 July 2016

    Referred

    Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.

    Source: Committee

  6. 22 July 2016

    Referred

    Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security.

    Source: Committee

  7. 11 August 2016

    Referred

    Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel.

    Source: Committee

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

Documents

3 official files

Introduced in House (text)

View fileDownload file

This file cannot be previewed here. Use View or Download.

Leesvertaling

Vertaal dit document naar jouw taal. PoliticalRepo bewaart geen aparte kopie per EU-taal.

Documentvertaling op verzoek met downloadbare PDF (logo + link naar de officiële bron). Het bronbestand blijft leidend.

  • Introduced in House (text)

    Introduced in House · EN · 8 July 2016

    ViewDownloadOpen at official source

  • Introduced in House (PDF)

    Introduced in House · EN · 8 July 2016

    ViewDownloadOpen at official source

    Leesvertaling

    Vertaal dit document naar jouw taal. PoliticalRepo bewaart geen aparte kopie per EU-taal.

    Documentvertaling op verzoek met downloadbare PDF (logo + link naar de officiële bron). Het bronbestand blijft leidend.

  • Introduced in House

    summary · EN · 8 July 2016

    Open at official source

    Leesvertaling

    Vertaal dit document naar jouw taal. PoliticalRepo bewaart geen aparte kopie per EU-taal.

    Documentvertaling op verzoek met downloadbare PDF (logo + link naar de officiële bron). Het bronbestand blijft leidend.

Sponsors

Related records

Sources

PoliticalRepo is an index and interpretation layer, not the authoritative legal source.