PAAF Act Grants Automatic U.S. Citizenship to Internationally Adopted Kids, Closing Decades-Old Legal Gap

The Protect Adoptees and American Families Act (PAAF Act) is a major update to U.S. citizenship law, primarily focused on fixing a long-standing issue for people adopted internationally by U.S. citizens. Essentially, this bill ensures that certain internationally adopted individuals who missed out on automatic citizenship under previous laws finally get it.

The Citizenship Gap: What the PAAF Act Fixes

Under current law, children adopted by U.S. citizens generally gain citizenship automatically, but some past international adoptions fell through the cracks due to technicalities, often related to when the adoption was finalized or the child’s age at the time. The PAAF Act retroactively grants U.S. citizenship to individuals who were adopted by a U.S. citizen parent and met three key conditions before turning 18: they were legally adopted, they were physically present in the U.S. while in the custody of that parent, and they hadn't already become a citizen. Crucially, the bill specifies that this applies regardless of when the adoption was officially finalized, removing a major hurdle that left many adoptees in legal limbo for years. If you’re one of these individuals and were living legally in the U.S. when this bill becomes law, you automatically become a citizen on that day.

Coming Home: What Happens to Adoptees Abroad

For those who meet the adoption criteria but were living outside the U.S. when the law is enacted, the path is slightly different, but the outcome is the same: automatic citizenship. For these individuals, citizenship kicks in the moment they are physically present in the U.S. legally. To make this happen, the bill waives the standard grounds of inadmissibility (Section 212(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act) that usually prevent someone from getting a visa or entering the country. This is a big deal, as it removes many legal obstacles to their entry.

However, there’s a mandatory checkpoint before they can get that visa: a criminal background check. If that check reveals any unresolved criminal activity, the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of State must coordinate with law enforcement to make sure the issue is properly sorted out before a visa is issued. While this mandatory check is a necessary safeguard, it could potentially create a bureaucratic bottleneck for some individuals, delaying their entry and citizenship if their history requires inter-agency coordination.

Real-World Impact: Certainty for Families

Think about the 35-year-old software engineer adopted from Korea as a toddler who grew up in the U.S. but discovered in their twenties that they never formally gained citizenship because of a paperwork error decades ago. This person has lived, worked, and paid taxes here their entire adult life, yet faced the constant threat of deportation or couldn't get a passport. For them, the PAAF Act provides immediate, automatic citizenship, ending decades of uncertainty. For the parents and families involved, this bill finally provides the legal certainty that their child is, and always has been, a full American citizen, removing a massive legal and emotional burden.