This bill — the Reentry and Reunification Act of 2018 — would provide lawful permanent resident status to spouses and parents of U.S. citizens who are inadmissible to or deportable from the U.S. Eligible immigrants couldn’t have a significant criminal history beyond immigration violations or minor traffic offenses, must have been of good moral character and been physically present in the country continuously for the four years prior to the bill’s enactment.
Prospective immigrants would have to apply within the three years following this bill’s enactment. The continuous presence provision would be violated if the applicant left the U.S. for any period exceeding 90 days or for any periods exceeding 180 days in the aggregate, although extensions would be granted for extenuating circumstances such as serious illness or travel authorized by the Dept. of Homeland Security. Immigrants admitted under this legislation wouldn’t be subject to numerical limitations set by immigration laws.