PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Feb 18, 2025
This bill provides for the relief of Ruslana Melnyk and Mykhaylo Gnatyuk.
People & committees
Rep. Davis, Danny K. [D-IL-7] · D–IL
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: Dec 8, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-02-18 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.
The introduced bill would give Ruslana Melnyk and Mykhaylo Gnatyuk special eligibility to apply for permission to live permanently in the United States. It would not automatically grant permanent residence. They would need to submit an application and the appropriate fees within two years after the bill became law.
Ruslana Melnyk and Mykhaylo Gnatyuk shall each be eligible for issuance of an immigrant visa or for adjustment of the status to that of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence upon filing an application
Subsections (a) and (b) shall apply only if the application for issuance of an immigrant visa or the application for adjustment of status is filed with appropriate fees within 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act.
Subsection (a) would make each named person eligible for an immigrant visa or a change to permanent resident status despite subsections 201(a) and (b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The supplied text does not reproduce those existing provisions.
Notwithstanding subsections (a) and (b) of section 201 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, Ruslana Melnyk and Mykhaylo Gnatyuk shall each be eligible for issuance of an immigrant visa or for adjustment of the status to that of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence upon filing an application for issuance of an immigrant visa under section 204 of such Act or for adjustment of status to lawful permanent resident.
If the named people entered the United States before the application deadline, the bill would treat them as having entered and remained lawfully. If otherwise eligible, they could qualify as of enactment for adjustment of status—the process of changing their immigration status to permanent residence—under section 245.
If Ruslana Melnyk and Mykhaylo Gnatyuk enter the United States before the filing deadline specific in subsection (c), he or she shall be considered to have entered and remained lawfully and shall, if otherwise eligible, be eligible for adjustment of status under section 245 of the Immigration and Nationality Act as of the date of the enactment of this Act.
The special eligibility and lawful-entry treatment would apply only if an immigrant visa or permanent resident status application was filed with appropriate fees within two years after enactment. This is an application deadline; the provision does not set an expiration date for permanent residence once granted.
Subsections (a) and (b) shall apply only if the application for issuance of an immigrant visa or the application for adjustment of status is filed with appropriate fees within 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act.
Upon the granting of immigrant visas or permanent residence to the named people, the Secretary of State would have to direct a reduction of two immigrant visas available to people from their country of birth under the specified statutory provisions. The reduction would occur during the current or following federal fiscal year.
Upon the granting of an immigrant visa or permanent residence to Ruslana Melnyk and Mykhaylo Gnatyuk the Secretary of State shall instruct the proper officer to reduce by 2, during the current or next following fiscal year, the total number of immigrant visas that are made available to natives of the country of the aliens’ birth under section 203(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act or, if applicable, the total number of immigrant visas that are made available to natives of the country of the aliens’ birth under section 202(e) of such Act.
The named people's biological parents, brothers, and sisters could not receive any immigration right, privilege, or status solely because of that family relationship. The restriction is tied to the relationship; it does not state a general ban on those relatives immigrating independently.
The natural parents, brothers, and sisters of Ruslana Melnyk and Mykhaylo Gnatyuk shall not, by virtue of such relationship, be accorded any right, privilege, or status under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
The supplied official-actions snapshot, updated December 8, 2025, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on the Judiciary on February 18, 2025.
Source snapshot updated 2025-12-08T18:35:59Z. 2025-02-18: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. 2025-02-18: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-02-18. 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 change attached to appropriations was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion does not establish absence in 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 in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to this version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
Findings to examine
The supplied introduced text contains individualized immigration relief. This narrow treatment is the bill's main policy; classification does not judge its justification.
Ruslana Melnyk and Mykhaylo Gnatyuk would receive special eligibility for immigrant visas or permanent resident status despite specified existing-law provisions. They would also receive lawful-entry and lawful-stay treatment if they entered before the filing deadline, while remaining subject to other eligibility requirements and the application-and-fee deadline.
Notwithstanding subsections (a) and (b) of section 201 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, Ruslana Melnyk and Mykhaylo Gnatyuk shall each be eligible for issuance of an immigrant visa or for adjustment of the status to that of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence upon filing an application for issuance of an immigrant visa under section 204 of such Act or for adjustment of status to lawful permanent resident.
If Ruslana Melnyk and Mykhaylo Gnatyuk enter the United States before the filing deadline specific in subsection (c), he or she shall be considered to have entered and remained lawfully and shall, if otherwise eligible, be eligible for adjustment of status under section 245 of the Immigration and Nationality Act as of the date of the enactment of this Act.
Subsections (a) and (b) shall apply only if the application for issuance of an immigrant visa or the application for adjustment of status is filed with appropriate fees within 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Dec 8, 2025. How PlainBill uses AI