The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, also known as the Hart-Celler Act, is a federal law passed by the 89th United States Congress and signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on October 3, 1965, at Liberty Island, New York. It abolished the national-origins quota system that had governed American immigration policy since the 1920s and replaced it with a seven-category preference system favoring relatives of United States citizens and permanent residents, skilled professionals, and refugees; effective July 1, 1968, the quota system was fully replaced by hemispheric numerical limitations. The act reshaped the demographic makeup of the United States: the foreign-born share of the population rose from about 5 percent in 1965 to roughly 14 percent by 2016.
Facts
Enacted Year Enacted Date Jurisdiction Enacted By89th United States Congress 1 Official CitationPublic Law 89-236; 79 Stat. 911 1 Legal StatusIn force, as amended by the Child Citizenship Act of 2000 and subsequent immigration legislation; continues to govern United States immigration policy. 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
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