WASHINGTON – The US Senate has voted to approve the 2020 US National Defense Authorization of Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2020. The bill provides Permanent Resident Status for Liberians on DED. The Bill passed by 86-8.
Section 7611 allow eligible Liberians to apply for permanent residency and provide them with a pathway to citizenship.
This section provides for the adjustment in status from temporary protected status to legal permanent residence, for Liberian nationals and their spouses and children, if the applicant:
Submits an application within 1 year of enactment of this act, has been living in the U.S. continuously since November 20, 2014 and not absent for more than 180 in aggregate, and is otherwise eligible and admissible for permanent residence.
It would prohibit eligibility for anyone convicted of a violent crime, or an individual who has ordered, incited, assisted, or otherwise participated in the persecution of any person on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.
It would require the Secretary of Homeland Security to create a process whereby applicants may seek a stay of deportation if they have filed an application for legal resident status and authorize the Secretary to allow individuals to work in the US while their application is being considered. It would mandate work authorization for anyone whose application has been pending for more than 180 days.
If granted, legal permanent residence would be approved as of the date of arrival in the United States.