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Version 00 · Introduced in House · Feb 13, 2025
Venezuelan Adjustment Act
This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to grant lawful permanent resident status to qualifying nationals of Venezuela.
A national of Venezuela shall be eligible if that individual (1) applies for lawful permanent resident status no later than three years after this bill's enactment, (2) entered the United States on or before December 31, 2021, (3) has been continuously physically present in the United States for at least one year when filing their application, (4) is otherwise eligible to receive an immigrant visa, and (5) is not inadmissible under various grounds such as a conviction for an aggravated felony. Certain grounds for inadmissibility, such as the public charge ground, shall not apply.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
The spouse, child, or unmarried son or daughter of an eligible individual shall also be eligible.
If an individual has applied for lawful permanent resident status under this bill and is subject to exclusion, deportation, or removal proceedings, DHS may not order that individual's removal unless DHS has made a final determination to deny the application.
DHS must provide work authorization to an individual whose application has been pending for more than 180 days, and may also provide authorization before that.
People & committees
Rep. Soto, Darren [D-FL-9] · D–FL
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Oct 6, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-02-13 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
This bill would create a route to lawful permanent residence for Venezuelan nationals who entered the United States by December 31, 2021, and meet a physical-presence requirement, as well as their spouses, children, and unmarried sons or daughters. Applicants would have to apply within three years after enactment and meet the bill’s other eligibility conditions. These are proposed changes, not evidence of an enacted immigration program.
the Secretary shall adjust the status of an alien described in subsection (c) to that of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence if the alien— (A) applies for adjustment not later than 3 years after the date of the enactment of this Act; (B) is otherwise eligible to receive an immigrant visa; and (C) subject to paragraph (2), is admissible to the United States for permanent residence.
(A) (i) is a national of Venezuela; (ii) entered the United States before or on December 31, 2021; and (iii) has been continuously physically present in the United States for not less than 1 year as of the date on which the alien submits an application under such subsection (b); or (B) is the spouse, child, or unmarried son or daughter of an alien described in subparagraph (A).
The bill would be called the Venezuelan Adjustment Act. The Secretary of Homeland Security would administer its status-adjustment provisions, using existing immigration-law definitions unless the bill specifies otherwise.
This Act may be cited as the Venezuelan Adjustment Act.
Except as otherwise specifically provided, any term used in this Act that is used in the immigration laws shall have the meaning given the term in the immigration laws.
The term Secretary means the Secretary of Homeland Security.
Subject to the bill’s exclusions, Homeland Security would have to grant permanent residence to qualifying applicants who apply within three years after enactment, are otherwise eligible for an immigrant visa, and meet the applicable admission requirements. This would be a requirement, rather than discretionary permission.
Except as provided in paragraph (3), the Secretary shall adjust the status of an alien described in subsection (c) to that of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence if the alien— (A) applies for adjustment not later than 3 years after the date of the enactment of this Act; (B) is otherwise eligible to receive an immigrant visa; and (C) subject to paragraph (2), is admissible to the United States for permanent residence.
The principal eligibility group would be Venezuelan nationals who entered by December 31, 2021, and have at least one year of continuous physical presence when they apply. A separate family category would cover their spouses, children, and unmarried sons or daughters; that clause does not expressly impose its own nationality, entry-date, or one-year presence requirement.
The benefits provided under subsection (b) shall apply to any alien who— (A) (i) is a national of Venezuela; (ii) entered the United States before or on December 31, 2021; and (iii) has been continuously physically present in the United States for not less than 1 year as of the date on which the alien submits an application under such subsection (b); or (B) is the spouse, child, or unmarried son or daughter of an alien described in subparagraph (A).
The bill states that absences totaling no more than 180 days would not, by themselves, break continuous physical presence. However, this clause refers to paragraph (1)(A)(ii), which contains the entry cutoff, while the one-year presence requirement appears in paragraph (1)(A)(iii). The supplied evidence does not resolve that discrepancy.
For purposes of establishing the period of continuous physical presence referred to in paragraph (1)(A)(ii), an alien shall not be considered to have failed to maintain continuous physical presence based on one or more absences from the United States for one or more periods amounting, in the aggregate, to not more than 180 days.
(ii) entered the United States before or on December 31, 2021; and (iii) has been continuously physically present in the United States for not less than 1 year as of the date on which the alien submits an application under such subsection (b);
For adjustment under this bill, four specified provisions of existing law establishing grounds of inadmissibility would not apply. The bill identifies them by statutory reference without reproducing their substance.
In determining the admissibility of an alien under paragraph (1)(C), the grounds of inadmissibility specified in paragraphs (4), (5), (6)(A), and (7)(A) of section 212(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)) shall not apply.
Applicants would be ineligible if Homeland Security determines that they have an aggravated-felony conviction or convictions for two or more crimes involving moral turpitude, excluding purely political offenses. These are legal categories whose definitions are not supplied in the bill.
An alien shall not be eligible for adjustment of status under this subsection if the Secretary determines that the alien— (A) has been convicted of any aggravated felony; (B) has been convicted of two or more crimes involving moral turpitude (other than a purely political offense)
The bill would also exclude anyone Homeland Security determines ordered, incited, assisted, or otherwise participated in persecution based on race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.
An alien shall not be eligible for adjustment of status under this subsection if the Secretary determines that the alien—
(C) 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.
Otherwise eligible people present in the United States could apply despite an existing exclusion, deportation, removal, or voluntary-departure order. They would not need a separate legal motion to reopen, reconsider, or vacate that order as a condition of applying or receiving approval.
An alien present in the United States who has been subject to an order of exclusion, deportation, removal, or voluntary departure under any provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.) may, notwithstanding such order, submit an application for adjustment of status under this subsection if the alien is otherwise eligible for adjustment of status under paragraph (1).
An alien described in subparagraph (A) shall not be required, as a condition of submitting or granting an application under this subsection, to file a separate motion to reopen, reconsider, or vacate an order described in subparagraph (A).
Approval would require Homeland Security to cancel those existing orders. After a final denial, an order would be effective and enforceable to the same extent as if the application had never been filed.
If the Secretary adjusts the status of an alien pursuant to an application under this subsection, the Secretary shall cancel any order described in subparagraph (A) to which the alien has been subject.
If the Secretary makes a final decision to deny such application, any such order shall be effective and enforceable to the same extent that such order would be effective and enforceable if the application had not been made.
Homeland Security would have to issue regulations allowing applicants with final deportation, removal, or exclusion orders to request a stay—a pause in enforcement—based on their application. This clause provides a process to seek a pause, rather than automatically granting one.
The Secretary shall promulgate regulations establishing procedures by which an alien who is subject to a final order of deportation, removal, or exclusion, may seek a stay of such order based on the filing of an application under subsection (b).
For people in exclusion, deportation, or removal proceedings who have applied under the bill, Homeland Security could not order removal unless it had made a final determination denying the application.
Except as provided in subparagraph (B), notwithstanding any provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.), the Secretary may not order an alien to be removed from the United States if the alien— (i) is in exclusion, deportation, or removal proceedings under any provision of such Act; and (ii) has submitted an application for adjustment of status under subsection (b).
The Secretary may order an alien described in subparagraph (A) to be removed from the United States if the Secretary has made a final determination to deny the application for adjustment of status under subsection (b) of the alien.
Homeland Security could authorize applicants to work while their applications are pending and provide documentation of that permission. Work authorization would become mandatory once an application had been pending for more than 180 days without denial.
The Secretary may— (i) authorize an alien who has applied for adjustment of status under subsection (b) to engage in employment in the United States during the period in which a determination on such application is pending; and (ii) provide such alien with an employment authorized endorsement or other appropriate document signifying authorization of employment.
If an application for adjustment of status under subsection (b) is pending for a period exceeding 180 days and has not been denied, the Secretary shall authorize employment for the applicable alien.
For approved applicants, Homeland Security would record permanent-resident admission as of the person’s arrival in the United States, rather than the approval date.
On the approval of an application for adjustment of status under subsection (b) of an alien, the Secretary shall establish a record of admission for permanent residence for the alien as of the date of the arrival of the alien in the United States.
Applicants would receive the same rights and procedures for administrative review—review within the immigration system—as applicants under section 245 of the Immigration and Nationality Act and people in removal proceedings under section 240. The bill does not reproduce those procedures.
The Secretary shall provide applicants for adjustment of status under subsection (b) with the same right to, and procedures for, administrative review as are provided to— (1) applicants for adjustment of status under section 245 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1255); and (2) aliens subject to removal proceedings under section 240 of such Act (8 U.S.C. 1229a).
The bill would generally make Homeland Security’s adjustment decisions final and bar court review. It would preserve review of constitutional claims and questions of law concerning denials under the cited federal review provision. The supplied text does not reproduce that provision’s requirements.
A determination by the Secretary with respect to the adjustment of status of any alien under this section is final and shall not be subject to review by any court.
Nothing in paragraph (1) shall be construed to preclude the review of a constitutional claim or a question of law under section 704 of title 5, United States Code, with respect to a denial of adjustment of status under this section.
The Secretary of State would not be required to reduce the number of immigrant visas otherwise authorized to account for people receiving permanent residence under this bill.
The Secretary of State shall not be required to reduce the number of immigrant visas authorized to be issued under any provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.) to offset the adjustment of status of an alien who has been lawfully admitted for permanent residence pursuant to this section.
The bill includes a clause preserving Homeland Security’s existing immigration administration and enforcement authority. Eligibility under this bill would also leave people free to seek another immigration status for which they qualify.
Nothing in this Act may be construed to repeal, amend, alter, modify, effect, or restrict the powers, duties, function, or authority of the Secretary in the administration and enforcement of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.) or any other law relating to immigration, nationality, or naturalization.
The eligibility of an alien to be lawfully admitted for permanent residence under this section shall not preclude the alien from seeking any status under any other provision of law for which the alien may otherwise be eligible.
The supplied official-actions snapshot, updated October 6, 2026, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Judiciary Committee on February 13, 2025. This snapshot does not establish subsequent passage or enactment.
Source snapshot updated 2026-10-06T08:05:50Z. 2025-02-13: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. 2025-02-13: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-02-13. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy attachment to appropriations was identified after reviewing the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish the contents or attachment history of other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified after reviewing the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version; it does not establish formal earmark status or the absence of earmarks in other versions or accompanying materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No separate narrow carve-out warranting a targeted-benefit finding was identified after reviewing the complete supplied introduced text. The program’s intended beneficiaries and ordinary eligibility rules are not treated as separate preferential benefits. This conclusion is limited to the supplied version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Oct 6, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI