TheAlien Fiancées and Fiancés Act of 1946 (Pub. L. 79-471; 60 stat. 339, enacted June 29, 1946), also known asG.I. Fiancée Act, was an extension of theWar Brides Act that eliminated barriers forFilipino andIndianwar brides. The barriers forKorean andJapanese war brides were removed by a 1947 amendment.[1]
According to Aaron D. Horton, nearly 45,000 foreign-born women entered the United States under the act.[2] Fiancés who did not marry after arriving in the United States were subject to deportation.[2] Furthermore, most women who immigrated were of European descent. But many Asian women, especially large numbers ofChinese,Japanese, andFilipino women, also entered the United States under the act, who previously were unable to immigrate due to strict quotas on Asian immigration.
Under the act, women who entered the United States and married within three months of entering received permanent immigrant status.[3] According to Emily Alward, admission of Asian women into the United States ultimately made theImmigration and Nationality Act of 1965 possible.[3]
The act was scheduled to expire on July 1, 1947, but was extended to December 31, 1948,[2] the same expiry date as the War Brides Act.
