[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1300 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        S.1300

                     One Hundred Fourteenth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE FIRST SESSION

          Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,
           the sixth day of January, two thousand and fifteen


                                 An Act


 
   To amend the section 221 of the Immigration and Nationality Act to 
provide relief for adoptive families from immigrant visa fees in certain 
                               situations.

    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 ``Adoptive Family Relief Act''.
SEC. 2. WAIVER OF FEES FOR RENEWAL OF IMMIGRANT VISA FOR ADOPTED CHILD 
IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS.
    Section 221(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
1201(c)) is amended to read as follows:
    ``(c) Period of Validity; Renewal or Replacement.--
        ``(1) Immigrant visas.--An immigrant visa shall be valid for 
    such period, not exceeding six months, as shall be by regulations 
    prescribed, except that any visa issued to a child lawfully adopted 
    by a United States citizen and spouse while such citizen is serving 
    abroad in the United States Armed Forces, or is employed abroad by 
    the United States Government, or is temporarily abroad on business, 
    shall be valid until such time, for a period not to exceed three 
    years, as the adoptive citizen parent returns to the United States 
    in due course of his service, employment, or business.
        ``(2) Nonimmigrant visas.--A nonimmigrant visa shall be valid 
    for such periods as shall be by regulations prescribed. In 
    prescribing the period of validity of a nonimmigrant visa in the 
    case of nationals of any foreign country who are eligible for such 
    visas, the Secretary of State shall, insofar as practicable, accord 
    to such nationals the same treatment upon a reciprocal basis as 
    such foreign country accords to nationals of the United States who 
    are within a similar class; except that in the case of aliens who 
    are nationals of a foreign country and who either are granted 
    refugee status and firmly resettled in another foreign country or 
    are granted permanent residence and residing in another foreign 
    country, the Secretary of State may prescribe the period of 
    validity of such a visa based upon the treatment granted by that 
    other foreign country to alien refugees and permanent residents, 
    respectively, in the United States.
        ``(3) Visa replacement.--An immigrant visa may be replaced 
    under the original number during the fiscal year in which the 
    original visa was issued for an immigrant who establishes to the 
    satisfaction of the consular officer that the immigrant--
            ``(A) was unable to use the original immigrant visa during 
        the period of its validity because of reasons beyond his 
        control and for which he was not responsible;
            ``(B) is found by a consular officer to be eligible for an 
        immigrant visa; and
            ``(C) pays again the statutory fees for an application and 
        an immigrant visa.
        ``(4) Fee waiver.--If an immigrant visa was issued, on or after 
    March 27, 2013, for a child who has been lawfully adopted, or who 
    is coming to the United States to be adopted, by a United States 
    citizen, any statutory immigrant visa fees relating to a renewal or 
    replacement of such visa may be waived or, if already paid, may be 
    refunded upon request, subject to such criteria as the Secretary of 
    State may prescribe, if--
            ``(A) the immigrant child was unable to use the original 
        immigrant visa during the period of its validity as a direct 
        result of extraordinary circumstances, including the denial of 
        an exit permit; and
            ``(B) if such inability was attributable to factors beyond 
        the control of the adopting parent or parents and of the 
        immigrant.''.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

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