{
  "id": "RL30578",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RL30578",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 104463,
      "date": "2001-08-22",
      "retrieved": "2016-05-24T20:21:23.306941",
      "title": "Immigration: Registry as Means of Obtaining Lawful Permanent Residence",
      "summary": "Registry is a provision of immigration law that enables certain unauthorized aliens in the United\nStates to acquire lawful permanent resident status. It grants the Attorney General the discretionary\nauthority to create a record of lawful admission for permanent residence for an alien who lacks such\na record, has continuously resided in the United States since before January 1, 1972, and meets other\nspecified requirements.\n  The registry provision originated in a 1929 law. That law set the required entry date from\nwhich continuous residence had to be shown (known as the registry date) at June 3, 1921. The\nregistry provision has been amended several times since 1929, most commonly to update the registry\ndate. The first update came in 1940, when the registry date was changed to July 1, 1924. The\nregistry provision underwent significant change in 1958. That year, the registry date was changed\nto June 28, 1940, and the registry requirements were revised. As a result of the 1958 changes, the\nregistry mechanism became available to aliens who had entered the country illegally or who had\noverstayed, or violated the terms of, a temporary period of entry. The registry date was subsequently\nchanged to June 30, 1948, and then to January 1, 1972, where it stands today. Since 1985,\napproximately 60,000 people have adjusted to lawful permanent residence under the registry\nprovision.\n  Bills to update the registry provision are before the 107th Congress.  S. 562  and\n H.R. 1561  propose to change the registry date to January 1, 1986, while\n H.R. 500  would change the date to February 6, 1996. These 3 bills also would put in\nplace a \"rolling registry date\" system, under which the registry date would advance in 1-year\nincrements in each of 5 specified years. Taking a different approach,  H.R. 2713  would\nrequire a minimum 15-year gap between entry into the United States and the filing of a registry\napplication. Thus, if  H.R. 2713  went into effect in 2001, individuals residing here since\n1986 would be eligible for registry. INS estimated last year that if the registry date were advanced\nto 1986, as many as 500,000 undocumented aliens in the United States could acquire permanent\nresident status.\n  \n  There is debate about the merits of advancing the registry date. Supporters maintain that\nlong-time immigrants with strong ties to the country should be allowed to become lawful permanent\nresidents. Opponents argue that aliens in the country illegally should not be rewarded with legal\nstatus and that advancing the registry date could encourage future illegal immigration.\n  Registry can be viewed as a form of amnesty for long-term unauthorized residents of the United\nStates. It differs in notable ways, however, from other mechanisms through which unauthorized\naliens have acquired lawful permanent residence, such as the general legalization program enacted\nas part of the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act. \n  This report will be updated as significant developments occur.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
      "active": false,
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          "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RL30578",
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      "topics": []
    }
  ],
  "topics": [
    "American Law",
    "Domestic Social Policy"
  ]
}