Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 114 Part 2.djvu/706

 114 STAT. 1442 PUBLIC LAW 106-378 —OCT. 27, 2000 Public Law 106-378 106th Congress An Act Oct. 27, 2000 To provide for the adjustment of status of certain Syrian nationals. [H.R. 4681] Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 8 USC 1255 note, the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. FINDINGS. The Congress finds as follows: (1) President Bush and President Clinton successively conducted successful negotiations with the Government of Syria to bring about the release of members of the Syrian Jewish population and their immigration to the United States. (2) In order to accommodate the Syrian Government, the United States was required to admit these aliens by first granting them temporary nonimmigrsmt visas and subsequently granting them asylum, rather than admitting them as refugees (as is ordinarily done when the United States grants refuge to members of a persecuted alien minority group). (3) The asylee status of these aliens has resulted in a long and unnecessary delay in their adjustment to lawful permanent resident status that would not have been encountered had they been admitted as refugees. (4) This delay has impaired these aliens' ability to work in their chosen professions, travel freely, and apply for naturalization, (5) The Attorney General should act without further delay to grant lawful permanent resident status to these aliens in accordance with section 2. SEC. 2. ADJUSTMENT OF STATUS OF CERTAIN SYRIAN NATIONALS. (a) ADJUSTMENT OF STATUS.—Subject to subsection (c), the Attorney General shall adjust the status of an alien described in subsection (b) to that of an edien lawfully admitted for permanent residence, if the alien— (1) applies for adjustment of status under this section not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act or applied for adjustment of status under the Immigration and Nationality Act before the date of the enactment of this Act; (2) has been physically present in the United States for at least 1 year after being granted asylum; (3) is not firmly resettled in any foreign country; and (4) is admissible as an immigrant under the Immigration and Nationality Act at the time of examination for adjustment of such alien.

�