Admission of refugee families and timely adjudication

Section 207(c)(2) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1157(c)(2)) is amended to read as follows: (2) (A) (i) Irrespective of the date on which such refugee was admitted to the United States, the spouse or permanent partner, or a child (as defined in section 101(b)(1)) of any refugee, or the parent or de facto guardian (as determined by the Secretary of Homeland Security) of such a child who qualifies for admission under paragraph (1), if not otherwise entitled to admission under such paragraph and not described in section 101(a)(42)(B), shall be entitled to the same admission status as such refugee if— (I) accompanying, or following to join, such refugee; and (II) admissible (except as otherwise provided under paragraph (3)) as an immigrant under this chapter. (ii) The admission to the United States of a spouse or permanent partner, child, parent, or guardian described in clause (i) shall not be charged against the numerical limitation established in accordance with the appropriate subsection under which the refugee’s admission is charged. (B) A mother or father who seeks to accompany, or follow to join, an alien child granted admission as a refugee under this subsection shall continue to be classified as a parent for purposes of this paragraph if the alien child attains 21 years of age while the application filed under this paragraph is pending. (C) The parent or de facto guardian (as determined by the Secretary of Homeland Security) of a refugee child admitted under this section and was admitted under the Unaccompanied Refugee Minors Program (as described in subparagraph (D), (E), or (H) of section 101(b)(1)) shall be treated in accordance with subparagraph (A) if such parent or guardian seeks to follow to join such refugee child and the minor consents to being joined by such individual. (D) (i) Not later than 1 year after the date on which an application for refugee status is filed under this paragraph— (I) required screenings and background checks shall be completed; and (II) the application shall be adjudicated. (ii) The adjudication of an application may exceed the timeframe under clause (i) only in exceptional circumstances in which additional time to process an application is necessary to satisfy national security concerns, if the Secretary of Homeland Security has— (I) made a determination that the applicant meets the requirements for refugee status under this section; and (II) notified the applicant of such determination..