Retention of priority dates

Section 203 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1153) is amended— (1) by amending subsection (h)(3) to read as follows: (3) Retention of priority date If the age of an alien is determined under paragraph (1) to be 21 years of age or older for the purposes of subsections (a)(2)(A) and (d), and a parent of the alien files a family-based petition for such alien, the priority date for such petition shall be the original priority date issued upon receipt of the original family- or employment-based petition for which either parent was a beneficiary.; and (2) by adding at the end the following: (i) Permanent priority dates The priority date for any family- or employment-based petition shall be the date of filing of the petition with the Secretary of Homeland Security (or the Secretary of State, if applicable), unless the filing of the petition was preceded by the filing of a labor certification with the Secretary of Labor, in which case that date shall constitute the priority date. The beneficiary of any petition shall retain his or her earliest priority date based on any petition filed on his or her behalf that was approvable when filed, regardless of the category of subsequent petitions..