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S 480 112th Congress Senate

H.E.L.P. Act

Official title: A bill to temporarily expand the V nonimmigrant visa category to include Haitians whose petition for a family-sponsored immigrant visa was approved on or before January 12, 2010.

Introduced: March 3, 2011 Introduced by: Gillibrand, Kirsten E. Democratic · New York See on congress.gov
Immigration Caribbean areaEvidence and witnessesFamily relationshipsHaiti
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Immigration status and proceduresLatin AmericaVisas and passports
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This bill died when the 112th Congress ended
It never became law before the 112th Congress (2011–2012) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Mar 3, 2011
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Mar 3, 2011
Introduced in Senate
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 Latest action March 3, 2011

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Haitian Emergency Life Protection Act of 2011 or the H.E.L.P. Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act with respect to V- visa nonimmigrants (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.

Authorizes the Secretary of State to use secondary evidence to verify eligibility for such status or for immediate relative status.

Sunsets the provisions of this Act two years after its enactment.

 Related & companion bills 1
  • HR 3297 Related bill H.E.L.P. Act
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 480: H.E.L.P. Act. 112th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/112-S-480/
MLA
"S. 480: H.E.L.P. Act." 112th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/112-S-480/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 480, 112th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/112-S-480/.
Markdown link
[S. 480: H.E.L.P. Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/112-S-480/)
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