[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2197 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        S.2197

                       One Hundred Fourth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

         Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday,
   the third day of January, one thousand nine hundred and ninety-six


                                 An Act


 
  To extend the authorized period of stay within the United States for 
                             certain nurses.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. EXTENSION OF AUTHORIZED PERIOD OF STAY FOR CERTAIN NURSES.

    (a) Aliens Who Previously Entered the United States Pursuant to an 
H-1A Visa.--
        (1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
    the authorized period of stay in the United States of any 
    nonimmigrant described in paragraph (2) is hereby extended through 
    September 30, 1997.
        (2) Nonimmigrant described.--A nonimmigrant described in this 
    paragraph is a nonimmigrant--
            (A) who entered the United States as a nonimmigrant 
        described in section 101(a)(15)(H)(i)(a) of the Immigration and 
        Nationality Act;
            (B) who was within the United States on or after September 
        1, 1995, and who is within the United States on the date of the 
        enactment of this Act; and
            (C) whose period of authorized stay has expired or would 
        expire before September 30, 1997 but for the provisions of this 
        section.
        (3) Limitations.--Nothing in this section may be construed to 
    extend the validity of any visa issued to a nonimmigrant described 
    in section 101(a)(15)(H)(i)(a) of the Immigration and Nationality 
    Act or to authorize the re-entry of any person outside the United 
    States on the date of the enactment of this Act.
    (b) Change of Employment.--A nonimmigrant whose authorized period 
of stay is extended by operation of this section shall not be eligible 
to change employers in accordance with section 214.2(h)(2)(i)(D) of 
title 8, Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on the day before 
the date of the enactment of this Act).
    (c) Regulations.--Not later than 30 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall issue regulations to 
carry out the provisions of this section.
    (d) Interim Treatment.--A nonimmigrant whose authorized period of 
stay is extended by operation of this section, and the spouse and child 
of such nonimmigrant, shall be considered as having continued to 
maintain lawful status as a nonimmigrant through September 30, 1997.

SEC. 2. TECHNICAL CORRECTION.

    Effective on September 30, 1996, subtitle A of title III of the 
Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 is 
amended--
        (1) in section 306(c)(1), by striking ``to all final'' and all 
    that follows through ``Act and''and inserting ``as provided under 
    section 309, except that'';
        (2) in section 309(c)(1), by striking ``as of'' and inserting 
    ``before''; and
        (3) in section 309(c)(4), by striking ``described in paragraph 
    (1)''.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.