PAAF Act

This bill, known as the Protect Adoptees and American Families Act , aims to provide automatic United States citizenship for certain internationally adopted individuals. It achieves this by amending Section 320(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, ensuring that children adopted by a United States citizen parent automatically acquire citizenship if they meet specific adoption requirements, irrespective of when the adoption was finalized. The Act outlines conditions for automatic citizenship for individuals born outside the United States. These conditions include being adopted by a U.S. citizen parent before reaching 18 years of age, being physically present in the U.S. under lawful admission and the parent's legal custody before age 18, and not having acquired U.S. citizenship prior to the Act's enactment. Furthermore, individuals residing outside the U.S. who meet these criteria will gain citizenship upon lawful admission to the U.S., with inadmissibility grounds waived, provided they undergo a criminal background check to resolve any outstanding issues.