House Approves Bill for
Legal Immigrants Serving Our Country

June 4, 2003

WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman David Dreier (R-CA), Chairman of the House Rules Committee, voted today to approve legislation that will ease the naturalization process for legal immigrants serving in our country's military services. H.R. 1954, The Armed Forces Naturalization Act of 2003, was approved with overwhelming bipartisan support, H.R. 414-5.

"The legal immigrants who serve in our military have more than earned the right to citizenship," Dreier said. "They are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice because they believe in what our country stands for. Well we believe in them, too. Today's vote makes clear that all of America supports these men and women and wants to thank them for their service."

H.R. 1954 reduces the military service requirement to apply for naturalization during peace time from three years to one year but maintains the requirement that a military member must establish their worthiness for expedited naturalization through a period of honorable military service during peace time. The bill also states that the military member may be denaturalized if the military member is discharged under other than honorable conditions during the first five years of military service.

The bill also permits surviving immediate relative family members of both military members who were U.S. citizens before death, and immigrant military members who were granted citizenship posthumously, to apply for immigration benefits as if the military member had not died. Under current law, family members of posthumous citizens cannot apply for immigration benefits through the posthumous citizen. H.R. 1954 permits the spouse, parents, and children to self-petition for a green card or continue to pursue their already-filed petition, as if the U.S. citizen had not died. The bill also permits lawful permanent resident spouses of posthumous-granted citizens to apply for naturalization immediately, rather than wait three years to apply as if the military member had not died.

"Ten non citizens died fighting in Operation Iraqi Freedom," Dreier said. "These soldiers and their families deserve all the gratitude and respect our nation can give them. This legislation is an important first step in giving it to them."