PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Nov 10, 2015
Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2015
This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to grant automatic citizenship to all qualifying children adopted by a U.S. citizen parent, regardless of the date on which the adoption was finalized.
An individual born outside of the United States who was adopted by a U.S. citizen parent shall automatically become a U.S. citizen when the following conditions have been fulfilled:
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
the individual was adopted by a U.S. citizen before the individual reached age 18,
the individual was physically present in the United States in the citizen parent's legal custody pursuant to a lawful admission before the individual reached age 18,
the individual never acquired U.S. citizenship before the enactment of this Act, and
the individual was lawfully residing in the United States on the date of enactment of this Act.
An individual who meets such criteria, except for lawfully residing in the United States on the date of enactment of this Act, shall automatically become a U.S. citizen on the date on which the individual is physically present in the United States pursuant to a lawful admission.
A visa may not be issued to such an individual unless:
the individual was subjected to a criminal background check; and
the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State coordinated with law enforcement agencies to ensure that appropriate action is taken regarding any unresolved criminal activity.
People & committees
Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN] · D–MN
Legislative record
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
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Source last updated: Aug 10, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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