The congresswoman, who recently took the oath of office for another term, made the disclosure on the third anniversary of the 2010 earthquake on Jan. 12th.
“In the coming weeks of the 113th Congress, I will re-introduce the Haitian Emergency Life Protection (H.E.L.P.) Act which will allow applicants with family-sponsored petitions that were approved on or before January 12, 2010 to work in the United States and send remittances back home as they wait for their green cards,” she explained.
The bill was introduced on November 1, 2011, in a previous session of Congress, but was not enacted. It calls for an amendment of the Immigration and Nationality Act with respect to V-visa for non-immigrants (spouses and minor children of lawful permanent residents who come to the United States to wait for completion of the immigrant visa process) to include certain Haitian nationals whose petition for a family-sponsored immigrant visa was approved on or before January 12, 2010.
It also calls for the authorization of the Secretary of State to use secondary evidence to verify eligibility for such status or for immediate relative status.
