H.R. 6118: Support and Defend Our Military Personnel and Their Families Act

Support and Defend Our Military Personnel and Their Families Act

This bill significantly changes how immigration law applies to noncitizen veterans. It-

• Expands the pathway to naturalization to include a broad "contingency operation";
• Doubles the window for veterans in peacetime to apply for citizenship (6 months to 1 year);
• Reclassifies spouses and children of noncitizen service members as "immediate relatives", which exempts them from the immigration caps;
• Allows illegal alien family members of green-card holders, including parents, spouses, children (including adult sons and daughters), and minor siblings, to receive permanent residence; and
• Blocks the removal of noncitizen veterans, including those with aggravated felonies, while also blocking the reinstatement of removal orders for those who were deported and reentered illegally.