[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5570 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

  2d Session
                                H. R. 5570


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 16, 2008

                                Received

                             August 1, 2008

       Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
   To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act with respect to the 
 special immigrant nonminister religious worker 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 ``Religious Worker Visa Extension Act 
of 2008''.

SEC. 2. SPECIAL IMMIGRANT NONMINISTER RELIGIOUS WORKER PROGRAM.

    (a) Regulations.--Not later than December 31, 2008, the Secretary 
of Homeland Security shall issue final regulations to eliminate or 
reduce fraud in the special immigrant categories described in 
subclauses (II) and (III) of section 101(a)(27)(C)(ii) of the 
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(27)(C)(ii)).
    (b) Extensions.--
            (1) In general.--Section 101(a)(27)(C)(ii) of the 
        Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(27)(C)(ii)) 
        is amended by striking ``October 1, 2008,'' each place such 
        term appears and inserting ``January 1, 2010,''.
            (2) Conditional further extension.--
                    (A) In general.--Section 101(a)(27)(C)(ii) of the 
                Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
                1101(a)(27)(C)(ii)), as amended by paragraph (1), is 
                further amended by striking ``January 1, 2010,'' each 
                place such term appears and inserting ``January 1, 
                2016,''.
                    (B) Conditional effective date.--The amendment made 
                by subparagraph (A) shall take effect on March 1, 2009, 
                but only if the Secretary of Homeland Security has 
                complied with subsection (a).
    (c) Report.--Not later than September 30, 2010, the Inspector 
General of the Department of Homeland Security shall submit to the 
Congress a report containing the results of a study of the 
effectiveness of the regulations described in subsection (a). The 
report shall also include an analysis of a random sample of non-
minister special immigrant religious workers, before their second 
anniversary of being admitted, to determine whether they are still 
employed by the religious organization that petitioned for them, and if 
not, the reasons for their departure from such employment.

            Passed the House of Representatives April 15, 2008.

            Attest:

                                            LORRAINE C. MILLER,

                                                                 Clerk.