House Passes Relief Bill for US Adoptees Without Citizenship

President Joe Biden of the United States
[Photo by Yonhap News]

A bill to assist people who were adopted into the United States but have not obtained citizenship and suffer in daily life has passed the U.S. House of Representatives.

According to the Korean American Grassroots Civic Council (KAGC) on the 4th (local time), the 'U.S. Competition Act,' which includes provisions to help adoptees obtain citizenship, was passed in the House on the same day.

This bill combines the 'Adoptee Citizenship Act,' introduced by Democratic Representative Adam Smith, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, in March last year, into the U.S. Competition Act. The Adoptee Citizenship Act aims to provide relief to those who were adopted into the U.S. but have not obtained citizenship and suffer in daily activities such as job searching.

KAGC reports that among approximately 49,000 adoptees in the U.S. in this situation, about 19,000 are Korean adoptees. If the coordination between the Senate and the House on the U.S. Competition Act proceeds smoothly, the provisions for adoptee citizenship acquisition will also be implemented after President Joe Biden's signature.

The coordination between the Senate and the House is expected to take one to three months. Chairman Smith said in a statement on the day, "I am incredibly proud to say that the Adoptee Citizenship Act has passed the House as part of the U.S. Competition Act today," adding, "This is a significant advancement for many adoptees who do not have U.S. citizenship."

Previously, the U.S. Congress established the Child Citizenship Act (CCA) in 2000, which automatically grants citizenship to adoptees born abroad if at least one parent is a U.S. citizen. However, the application was limited to those under 18 years old as of February 27, 2001, leaving many adoptees without benefits.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.