[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2961 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        H.R.2961

                       One Hundred Sixth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

           Begun and held at the City of Washington on Monday,
             the twenty-fourth day of January, two thousand


                                 An Act


 
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to authorize a 3-year pilot 
   program under which the Attorney General may extend the period for 
   voluntary departure in the case of certain nonimmigrant aliens who 
 require medical treatment in the United States and were admitted under 
         the visa waiver pilot program, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``International Patient Act of 2000''.

SEC. 2. THREE-YEAR PILOT PROGRAM TO EXTEND VOLUNTARY DEPARTURE PERIOD 
              FOR CERTAIN NONIMMIGRANT ALIENS REQUIRING MEDICAL 
              TREATMENT WHO WERE ADMITTED UNDER VISA WAIVER PILOT 
              PROGRAM.

    Section 240B(a)(2) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
1229c(a)(2)) is amended to read as follows:
        ``(2) Period.--
            ``(A) In general.--Subject to subparagraph (B), permission 
        to depart voluntarily under this subsection shall not be valid 
        for a period exceeding 120 days.
            ``(B) Three-year pilot program waiver.--During the period 
        October 1, 2000, through September 30, 2003, and subject to 
        subparagraphs (C) and (D)(ii), the Attorney General may, in the 
        discretion of the Attorney General for humanitarian purposes, 
        waive application of subparagraph (A) in the case of an alien--
                ``(i) who was admitted to the United States as a 
            nonimmigrant visitor (described in section 101(a)(15)(B)) 
            under the provisions of the visa waiver pilot program 
            established pursuant to section 217, seeks the waiver for 
            the purpose of continuing to receive medical treatment in 
            the United States from a physician associated with a health 
            care facility, and submits to the Attorney General--

                    ``(I) a detailed diagnosis statement from the 
                physician, which includes the treatment being sought 
                and the expected time period the alien will be required 
                to remain in the United States;
                    ``(II) a statement from the health care facility 
                containing an assurance that the alien's treatment is 
                not being paid through any Federal or State public 
                health assistance, that the alien's account has no 
                outstanding balance, and that such facility will notify 
                the Service when the alien is released or treatment is 
                terminated; and
                    ``(III) evidence of financial ability to support 
                the alien's day-to-day expenses while in the United 
                States (including the expenses of any family member 
                described in clause (ii)) and evidence that any such 
                alien or family member is not receiving any form of 
                public assistance; or

                ``(ii) who--

                    ``(I) is a spouse, parent, brother, sister, son, 
                daughter, or other family member of a principal alien 
                described in clause (i); and
                    ``(II) entered the United States accompanying, and 
                with the same status as, such principal alien.

            ``(C) Waiver limitations.--
                ``(i) Waivers under subparagraph (B) may be granted 
            only upon a request submitted by a Service district office 
            to Service headquarters.
                ``(ii) Not more than 300 waivers may be granted for any 
            fiscal year for a principal alien under subparagraph 
            (B)(i).
                ``(iii)(I) Except as provided in subclause (II), in the 
            case of each principal alien described in subparagraph 
            (B)(i) not more than one adult may be granted a waiver 
            under subparagraph (B)(ii).
                ``(II) Not more than two adults may be granted a waiver 
            under subparagraph (B)(ii) in a case in which--

                    ``(aa) the principal alien described in 
                subparagraph (B)(i) is a dependent under the age of 18; 
                or
                    ``(bb) one such adult is age 55 or older or is 
                physically handicapped.

            ``(D) Report to congress; suspension of waiver authority.--
                ``(i) Not later than March 30 of each year, the 
            Commissioner shall submit to the Congress an annual report 
            regarding all waivers granted under subparagraph (B) during 
            the preceding fiscal year.
                ``(ii) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the 
            authority of the Attorney General under subparagraph (B) 
            shall be suspended during any period in which an annual 
            report under clause (i) is past due and has not been 
            submitted.''.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

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