Research Guides: Immigration Resources: Chicagoland and Mesa, AZ: Immigration Legislation

Immigration Law History

Chronological List of United States Laws Relating to Immigration and Naturalization, 1790 - 2005

Immigration History Timeline

This chronological list of immigration laws provides links to the full text of selected laws in the U.S. Statutes at Large. Statutes at Large is the official compilation of the the laws passed in each session of Congress arranged in chronological order. The legal citation of a Statute at Large (Stat.) includes the volume and page number in Statutes at Large. (e.g., 110 Stat. 3009)

Naturalization Act of 1790 (An Act to establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization)
1 Stat. 103 - March 26, 1790
Established the rules for naturalized citizenship, as per Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution, but placed no restrictions on immigration. Citizenship was limited to white persons, with no other restriction on non-whites.
Naturalization Act of 1795 (An Act to establish an uniform rule of Naturalization)
1 Stat. 414 - January 29, 1795
Free white aliens of good moral character; five-year residency with one year in state; declaration of intention filed after two years; petition filed three years after declaration.
Naturalization Act of 1798
1 Stat. 566 - June 18, 1798
14-year residency; declaration of intention filed 5 years before granting of citizenship.
Alien Friends Act (An Act concerning Aliens)
1 Stat. 570 - June 25, 1798
Ordered the removal of aliens considered to be dangerous to the peace and safety of the U.S.; passenger lists to be given to collector of customs.
Naturalization Act of 1870
16 Stat. 254 - July 14, 1870
An Act to amend the Naturalization Laws and to punish Crimes against the same, and for other Purposes.
Page Act of 1875
18 Stat. 477 - March 3, 1875
An act supplementary to the acts in relation to immigration.
Chinese Exclusion Act
22 Stat. 58 - May 6, 1882
An act to execute certain treaty stipulations relating to Chinese American immigrants.
An act in amendment to the various acts relative to immigration and the importation of aliens under contract or agreement to perform labor
26 Stat. 1084 - March 3, 1891
Established office of superintendent of immigration; Classes of persons denied right to immigrate to U.S.
Geary Act of 1892 (Chinese Exclusion)
27 Stat. 25 - May 5, 1892
An act to prohibit the coming of Chinese persons into the United States.
Immigration Act of 1903 (Anarchist Exclusion Act)
32 Stat. 1213 - March 3, 1903
Added to the list of inadmissible classes.
Naturalization Act of 1906
34 Stat. 596 - June 29, 1906
An Act to establish a Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization, and to provide for a uniform rule for the naturalization of aliens throughout the United States. English language requirement added.
An Act in reference to the expatriation of citizens and their protection abroad
34 Stat. 1228 - March 2, 1907
American-born women who married foreign-born men took the citizenship status of their husbands.
An Act to regulate the immigration of aliens into the United States
34 Stat. 898 - February 20, 1907
Restricted the increasing number of immigrants coming into the U.S. before and after World War I, notably those with disability or disease.
Immigration Act of 1917 (Asiatic Barred Zone Act)
39 Stat. 874 - February 5, 1917. From The Equal Justice Initiative, "Under the act, people from any country not owned by the United States adjacent to the continent of Asia' were barred from immigrating to the U.S. The bill also utilized an English literacy test and an increased tax of eight dollars per person for immigrants aged 16 years and older."
Emergency Quota Act of 1921
42 Stat. 5 - May 19, 1921
An Act to limit the immigration of aliens into the United States. According to the National Park Service, "The Emergency Quota Act of 1921 established the nation’s first numerical limits on the number of immigrants who could enter the United States."
Immigration Act of 1924 (Johnson-Reed Act)
43 Stat. 153 - May 26, 1924
An Act To limit the immigration of aliens into the United States, and for other purposes.
Nationality Act of 1940
54 Stat. 1137 - October 14, 1940
An Act To revise and codify the nationality laws of the United States into a comprehensive nationality code.
Chinese Exclusion Repeal Act of 1943 (Magnuson Act)
57 Stat. 600 - December 17, 1943
An Act To repeal the Chinese Exclusion Acts, to establish quotas, and for other purposes.
Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 (McCarran-Walter Act)
66 Stat. 163 - June 27, 1952
Increased the power of the government to deport illegal immigrants suspected of Communist sympathies.
Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 (Hart-Celler Act)
79 Stat. 911 - October 03, 1965
Abolished the National Origins Formula that had been in place in the United States since the Emergency Quota Act.
Cuban Adjustment Act (CAA)
80 Stat. 1161 - November 2, 1966
An Act To adjust the status of Cuban refugees to that of lawful permanent residents of the United States, and for other purposes.
Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA)
100 Stat. 3359 - November 6, 1986
An Act To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to revise and reform the immigration laws, and for other purposes.
Immigration Act of 1990
104 Stat. 4978 - November 29, 1990
An Act To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to change the level, and preference system for admission, of immigrants to the United States, and to provide for administrative naturalization, and for other purposes.
Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRaIRA)
110 Stat. 3009 - September 30, 1996
Part of an omnibus bill.
REAL ID Act (2005)
119 Stat. 302 (Real ID Act) was passed as rider on 119 Stat. 231 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Relief.
ACLU Letter about REAL ID Act
This letter provides an explanation regarding passage of the REAL ID Act.