{ "id": "RL31884", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "number": "RL31884", "active": false, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 344962, "date": "2009-02-25", "retrieved": "2016-04-07T02:43:19.819695", "title": "Expedited Citizenship Through Military Service: Current Law, Policy, and Issues", "summary": "Since the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom in March 2003, there has been and continues to be considerable congressional interest in further streamlining and expediting the naturalization process for military personnel and in providing immigration benefits specifically for immediate relatives of such personnel. The reported deaths in action of noncitizen soldiers drew attention to the immigration laws that grant posthumous citizenship and to the advantages of further expediting naturalization for noncitizens serving in the United States military. President George W. Bush officially designated the period beginning on September 11, 2001, as a \u201cperiod of hostilities,\u201d which triggered immediate naturalization eligibility for active-duty U.S. military service members. The Department of Defense and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) are cooperating to ensure that military naturalization applications are processed expeditiously.\nTitle XVII of P.L. 108-136, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004 (November 24, 2003), amended existing military naturalization statutes by reducing the period of service required for naturalization based on peacetime service from three years to one year; waiving fees for naturalization based on military service during peacetime or wartime; permitting naturalization processing overseas in U.S. embassies, consulates, and military bases; providing for priority consideration for military leave and transport to finalize naturalization; and by extending naturalization based on wartime service to members of the Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve. The Secretary of Defense or the Secretary\u2019s designee within the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services was authorized to request posthumous citizenship with permission from the next-of-kin. The law also expanded immigration benefits available to the immediate relatives (spouses, children, and parents) of citizens, including posthumous citizens, who die from injuries or illnesses resulting from or aggravated by serving in combat. The effective date was retroactive to September 11, 2001, except for the fee waivers and provision for naturalization proceedings abroad, effective October 1, 2004.\nEfforts since P.L. 108-136 have focused on further streamlining procedures or extending immigration benefits to immediate relatives of U.S. service members. Most recently, P.L. 110-382, the Military Personnel Citizenship Processing Act, expedited certain military service-related applications by establishing a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) liaison office in USCIS to monitor the completion of FBI background checks and by setting a deadline for processing such naturalization applications. P.L. 110-251, the Kendell Frederick Citizenship Assistance Act, streamlined background checks, particularly regarding biometric data. Sections 673 and 674 of P.L. 110-181, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (January 28, 2008), ensured reentry into the United States by lawful permanent residents (LPRs) who are spouses and children accompanying a military service member abroad (whose presence abroad might otherwise be deemed as abandonment of LPR status) and also provided for overseas naturalization for such LPRs. This report will be updated as legislative activity occurs or other events warrant.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/RL31884", "sha1": "c9ba8d58b1a6b981d0353fe537ed07d6b7e6ba51", "filename": "files/20090225_RL31884_c9ba8d58b1a6b981d0353fe537ed07d6b7e6ba51.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RL31884", "sha1": "e4772330d46ebdc6a4923f7e0be4750f99ee71fb", "filename": "files/20090225_RL31884_e4772330d46ebdc6a4923f7e0be4750f99ee71fb.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc812290/", "id": "RL31884_2008Jul01", "date": "2008-07-01", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "Expedited Citizenship Through Military Service: Current Law, Policy, and Issues", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20080701_RL31884_0ab56d7f93cef5a6d5a638cb9c19bb27126ab4e7.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20080701_RL31884_0ab56d7f93cef5a6d5a638cb9c19bb27126ab4e7.html" } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc819935/", "id": "RL31884_2008Feb11", "date": "2008-02-11", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "Expedited Citizenship Through Military Service: Current Law, Policy and Issues", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20080211_RL31884_4e34c230958f8e7a8184d9fa62b2f56418307932.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20080211_RL31884_4e34c230958f8e7a8184d9fa62b2f56418307932.html" } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs7710/", "id": "RL31884 2003-09-30", "date": "2003-09-30", "retrieved": "2005-11-18T11:31:45", "title": "Expedited Citizenship Through Military Service: Policy and Issues", "summary": "This report discusses the interest in legislation to expand the citizenship benefits of aliens serving in the military. Multiple bills provide for expedited or posthumous citizenship as the result of military service (H.R. 1275, H.R. 1588, H.R. 1685, H.R. 1691, H.R. 1714, H.R. 1799, H.R. 1806, H.R. 1814, H.R. 1850, H.R. 1953, H.R. 1954, H.R. 2887, S. 783, S. 789, S. 897, S. 922, and S. 940). Variously, these bills would, among other things, reduce or eliminate the 3-year requirement for peacetime service, permit proceedings to be conducted abroad, waive processing fees, modify posthumous citizenship procedures, and provide some type of immigration benefit to surviving immediate relatives of citizens (including posthumous citizens) who die as a result of serving in active duty or, more narrowly, in a combat zone during wartime.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20030930_RL31884_d4592c15240db6701ee4d14e8c32b774f1d38725.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20030930_RL31884_d4592c15240db6701ee4d14e8c32b774f1d38725.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Immigration", "name": "Immigration" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Military personnel", "name": "Military personnel" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Naturalization", "name": "Naturalization" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Citizenship", "name": "Citizenship" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Defense policy", "name": "Defense policy" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Politics and government", "name": "Politics and government" } ] } ], "topics": [ "Intelligence and National Security", "National Defense" ] }