Immigration and Nationality Act Amendments

Immigration and Nationality Act Amendments - Defines "special immigrants" to include immediate relatives. Provides special immigrant status to aliens performing duties related to the religious activities of a religious denomination.

Establishes a worldwide ceiling of 300,000 immigrants annually, exclusive of special immigrants, to become operative on July 1, 1978, who may be lawfully admitted to the United States.

Extends the present 20,000 annual limitation on immigration from any one country in the Eastern Hemisphere to Western Hemisphere countries, with the exceptions that Canada and Mexico are given a maximum of 35,000 each.

Provides that the preference system shall become operative on a worldwide basis simultaneously with the effective date of the world ceiling. States that in the interim the preference system shall operate separately in each hemisphere. Alters preference system category percentages: (1) the percentage of first preference (unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens) is changed from 20 to 10; (2) expands the second preference to include parents of permanent resident aliens and increases the percentage from 20 to 24; (3) increases the percentage of third preference (members of professions or persons of exceptional ability in the sciences and arts) from 10 to 12; (4) decreases the fifth preference (brothers and sisters of the U.S. citizens) percentage from 24 to 20; (5) increases the percentage of sixth perference (skilled and unskilled workers in short supply) from 10 to 12; and (6) increases the percentage of the seventh preference from 6 to 12 and defines the term "alien refugee" as any alien who is outside the country of his nationality or who, not having a nationality, is outside the country of his habitual residence, and who is unable or unwilling to return to such country because of persecution or well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, or who has been uprooted by catastrophic natural calamity or military operations.

Makes technical and conforming amendments to the Immigration and Nationality Act. Authorizes the Attorney General to parole into the country additional numbers of refugees in times of emergency, if he determines it to be in the public interest. Provides a permanent authority to adjust the status of refugee parolees to that of permanent residence. Sets forth the procedures for such action.

Regulates the flow of employable commuter aliens from Canada and Mexico. Removes the renewal provision for re-entry permits, and extends their validity from one to three years. Provides for the naturalization of persons over 50 years who have been living in the United States for at least 10 years.

Establishes a temporary program to facilitate the adjustment of status of certain nonimmigrant aliens in the Virgin Islands. Establishes a temporary program making additional immigrant visas available to specified countries disadvantaged in the transition from the national origins system to the first-come, first-served system, established by the Immigration Act of October 3, 1965.