The Adoptee Citizenship Act passed the House of Representatives on the 4th.
The bill was added as an amendment to the “American Competition Bill (H.R.4521),” which was mainly aimed at keeping China in check and strengthening the international competitiveness of the United States, in the House of Representatives.
This leaves the Senate and the President to sign.
The bill would automatically grant citizenship to tens of thousands of people adopted before 2000.
If implemented, tens of thousands of adoptees will be able to receive important support such as disability benefits, social pensions, housing and student loans. In addition, adoptees who have been unfairly deported will be able to re-enter the country and meet with their families.
Currently, there are about 350,000 adoptees in the United States, of which one-third are from South Korea, and it is estimated that 19,000 of them are struggling because they do not have citizenship.
