H.R. 3493: Family Reunification Act of 2021

117th Congress · introduced 2021-05-25 · Immigration · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2021-05-25 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Espaillat, Adriano [D-NY-13] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Family Reunification Act of 2021

Plain summary

Family Reunification Act of 2021 This bill addresses issues related to aliens obtaining legal permanent resident status, including by removing certain deadlines in a provision that allows eligible aliens to obtain such status. Specifically, the bill amends a provision that allows an alien to obtain lawful permanent resident status if the alien (1) is physically present in the United States, (2) entered the United States without inspection or meets certain other criteria, (3) is a beneficiary of a qualifying family-based immigrant petition or a labor certification application filed no later than April 30, 2001, and (4) has filed an application and meets other requirements. This bill removes the April 30, 2001, deadline for the filing of the required immigrant petition or labor certification. It also removes another requirement for certain applying aliens to have been physically present in the United States on December 21, 2000. Furthermore, a beneficiary of a family-based immigrant petition that appears to be eligible for approval may not be removed while the petition is pending. The bill also makes nonimmigrant V visas available to a beneficiary of an approved family-based immigrant petition, subject to certain requirements, regardless of when the immigrant petition was filed or how long it has been pending. Currently, a V visa is only available to an alien whose approved family-based immigrant petition was filed no later than December 11, 2000, and has been pending for at least three years. A V visa holder may not receive any means-tested public benefits or certain health insurance-related benefits.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Family Reunification Act of 2021

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Espaillat, Adriano [D-NY-13] · 4 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Juan Vargas (D-CA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Betty McCollum (D-MN)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Espaillat, Adriano [D-NY-13] reported raising $2.9 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (1)

Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-117hr3493.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/117/hr>

Record fed-us-cong117-hr3493 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong117 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong117