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PUBLIC LAW 97-271—SEPT. 30, 1982 96 STAT Public Law 97-271 97th Congress An Act ye the granting of permaner residence status tf ertain no mney ra sliens residing in the Virgir Islands of the United States, and tor other Re it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the { nited States of A merira tn Congress assembled, SHORT TITLE AND FINDINGS Section 1. (a) This Act may be cited as the “Virgin Islands Nonimmigrant Alien Adjustment Act of 1982 b) Congress finds— (1) that in order to eliminate the uncertainty and insecurity of aliens who- (A) legally entered the Virgin Islands of the United States as nonimmigrants for employment under the tempo rary alien labor program, (B) have continued to reside in the Virgin Islands for long periods (some for as long as twenty years), and C) have contributed to the economic, social, and cultural development of the Virgin Islands and have become an integral part of the society of the Virgin Islands, it is necessary and equitable to provide for the orderly adjust ment of their immigration status to that of permanent resident aliens; and (2) because (A) the Congress has special responsibility and authority with respect to the territoiies and the establishment of immigration policy, and (BXi) the Virgin Islands is a smal! and densely populated insular territory with limited resources, (ii) most of the aliens eligible for benefits under section 2 of this Act are natives of islands in the Caribbean and have relatives residing in such islands, and such relatives, if they were permitted to immigrate to the United States, are likely to settle in the Virgin Islands, and (iii) the admission of a significant number of these rela tives would have a severe and detrimental impact on the limited health, education, housing, and other services avai! able in the Virgin Islands there is a necessary and compe!ling need to prevent a secondary migration of a significant number of such relatives to the Virgin Islands ADJUSTMENT OF IMMIGRATION STATUS Sec. 2. (a) The stutus of any alien described in subsection (b) may be adjusted by the Attorney General, in his discretion and under such regulations as he may prescribe, to that of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence if the alien 96 STAT. 1158 PUBLIC LAW 97-271—SEPT. 30, 1982 ~ US ™ ~~ ~™ (1) makes application for such adjustinent during the one-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, 9) is otherwise eligible to receive an immigrant visa and is otherwise admissible to the United States for permanent resi- dence, except for the grounds of exclusion specified in para- graphs (14), (20), (21), (25), and (32), of section 212(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (hereinafter in this Act re ferred to as “the Act”), and (3) is physically present in the Virgin Islands of the United States at the time of filing such application for adjustment If such an alien has filed such an application and is or becomes deportable for failure to maintain nonimmigrant status, the Attor- ney General shall defer the deportation of the alien until final action is taken on the alien's application for adjustment (b) The benefits provided by subsection (a) apply to any alien who— (1) was inspected and admitted to the Virgin Islands of the United States either as a nonimmigrant alien worker under section 101(aX15XHXii) of the Act or as a spouse or minor child of such worker, and (2) has resided continuously in the Virgin Islands of the United States since June 30, 1975. (cX1) The numerical limitations described in sections 20l(a) and 202 of the Act shall not apply to an alien’s adjustment of status under this section. Such adjustment of status shall not result in any reduction in the number of aliens who may acquire the status of an alien lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent res- dence under the Act. (2) The Secretary of State, in his discretion and after consultation with the Secretary of the Interior and the Governor of the Virgin Islands of the United States, may limit the number of immigrant visas that may be issued in any fiscal year to aliens with respect to whom second preference petitions (filed by aliens who have had their status so adjusted) are approved (3) Notwithstanding any pe sd provision of law, no alien shall be eligible to receive an immigrant visa (or to otherwise acquire the status of an alien lawfully admitted to the United States for perma- nent residence)— (A) by virtue of a fourth or fifth preference petition filed by an individual who had his status adjusted under this section unless the individual establishes to the satisfaction of the Attorney General that exceptional and extremely unusua! hardship exists for permitting the alien to receive such visa (or otherwise acquire such status); or (B) by virtue of a second preference petition filed by an individual who was admitted to the United States as an imm! grant by virtue of an immediate relative petition filed by the son or daughter of the individual, if that son or daughter had his or her status adjusted under this section. (4) For purposes of this subsection, the terms “second preference petition”, “fourth preference petition”, “fifth preference petition , and “immediate relative petition” mean, in the case of an alien, a petition filed under section 204(a) of the Act to grant preference status to the alien by reason of the relationship described in section 203(aX2), 203(aX4), 203(aX5), or 201(b), respectively, of the Act (d) Except as otherwise specifically provided in this section, the definitions contained in the Act shall apply in the administration ol PUBLIC LAW 37-271—SEPT. 30, 1982 96 STAT. 1159 this section. Nothing contained in this Act shall be held to repeal, amend, alter, modify, effect, or restrict the powers, duties, functions, or authority of the Attorney General in the administration and enforcement of the Act or any other law relating to immigration, nationality, and naturalization. The fact that an alien may be eligible to be granted the status of having been lawfully admitted for permanent residence under this section shall not preclude him from seeking such status under any other provision of law for which he may be eligible. TERMINATION OF TEMPORARY WORKER PROGRAM IN THE VIRGIN ISLANDS Sec. 3. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, on and after * USC the date of the enactment of this Act the Attorney General shall not approve any petition filed under section 214(c) of the Act in the case & US! : of importing any alien as a nonimmigrant under section 101(aX15HDGi of such Act for employment in the Virgin Islands of *% US the United States other than for employment as an entertainer or as an athlete and for a period not exceeding forty-five days. IMPACT ASSESSMENT AND REPORT Src. 4. The Secretaries of Health and Human Services, Education, * US Housing and Urban Development, Labor, and the Interior, and the Attorney General, in consultation with officials of the Government of the Virgin Islands of the United States and within such amounts as may otherwise be available through appropriations, shall jointly assess the impact on the Government of the Virgin Islands of providing health, education, housing, and other social services to individuals whose status is adjusted under section 2 of this Act (and to relatives of such individuals who enter the Virgin Islands as a result of such adjustment) and the need for assistance to the Govern- ment of the Virgin Islands to assist it in meeting the needs of these individuals and relatives. They shall, within one year after the date Report to of the enactment of this Act, report to the President and the — ent ngress Congress on the results of their assessment and on any recommen- dations for changes in legislation which may be appropriate. Approved September 30, 1982. LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.LR. 3517 HOUSE REPORT No. 97-307 (Comm. on the Judiciary) SENATE REPORT No. 97-523 (Comm. on the Judiciary) CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Vol. 127 (1981): Nov. 4, considered and passed House Vol. 128 (1982): Aug. 20, considered and passed Senate, amended sept. 5 House agreed to Senate amendment