Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952
The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 (Pub. L. 82–414, 66 Stat. 163, enacted June 27, 1952), also known as the McCarran–Walter Act, codified under Title 8 of the United States Code (8 U.S.C. ch. 12), governs immigration to and citizenship in the United States. It came into effect on June 27, 1952. The legislation consolidated various immigration laws into a single text. Officially titled the Immigration and Nationality Act, it is often referred to as the 1952 law to distinguish it from the 1965 legislation. This law increased the quota for Europeans outside Northern and Western Europe, gave the Department of State authority to reject entries affecting native wages, eliminated 1880s bans on contract labor, set a minimum quota of one hundred visas per country, and promoted family reunification by exempting citizens' children and spouses from numerical caps.
Long title | An Act To revise the laws relating to immigration, naturalization, and nationality; and for other purposes. |
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Acronyms (colloquial) | INA |
Nicknames | McCarran–Walter Act |
Enacted by | the 82nd United States Congress |
Effective | June 27, 1952 |
Citations | |
Public law | 82-414 |
Statutes at Large | 66 Stat. 163 |
Codification | |
Titles amended | 8 U.S.C.: Aliens and Nationality |
U.S.C. sections created | 8 U.S.C. ch. 12 |
Legislative history | |
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Major amendments | |
USA PATRIOT Act |