Jim Sensenbrenner: “I want to thank both of them for bringing to our attention an unintended quirk in the Immigration and Nationality Act…”

“I want to thank both of them for bringing to our attention an unintended quirk in the Immigration and Nationality Act that needlessly keeps families separated. I want to thank them for developing this bill, which brings families back together. Each year the United States provides hundreds of thousands of immigrant visas for spouses and other family members of U.S. citizens and permanent residents. Tragically, each year a number of these U.S. citizens and permanent residents petitioning for their family members will die before the immigration process is complete. Generally, INS regulations provide for the automatic revocation of a petition when the petitioner dies. The consequences are severe for a beneficiary when his or her petitioner dies before the beneficiary has adjusted status or received an immigrant visa. If no other relative can qualify as a petitioner, then the beneficiary would lose an opportunity to become a permanent resident.”