PAAF Act

Key Points

• This bill would grant automatic U.S. citizenship to people who were adopted from other countries by American citizen parents but never received citizenship due to gaps in earlier laws. It applies regardless of when the adoption happened.
• To qualify, an individual must have been adopted by a U.S. citizen before turning 18, must have physically lived in the U.S. in the legal custody of that parent before age 18, and must never have acquired U.S. citizenship before this law takes effect.
• Adoptees currently living in the U.S. under a lawful admission would automatically become citizens when the law is enacted. This closes a loophole that left many adults raised by American families at risk of deportation.
• Adoptees living outside the U.S. can also gain citizenship, but they must return to the country through a lawful admission and pass a criminal background check before being issued a visa.
• The bill is bipartisan, introduced by Rep. Smith of Washington and Rep. Bacon, and was referred to the House Judiciary Committee.