Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986

The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, also known as the Simpson-Mazzoli Act, was passed by the 99th United States Congress and signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on November 6, 1986. The act combined two major changes to United States immigration policy: it created a path to legal status for people who had entered the country illegally before January 1, 1982, and it made it illegal for employers to knowingly hire workers without authorization to work in the United States, backed by financial penalties. Roughly 2.7 million people gained permanent resident status through the acts legalization programs. The law also introduced new employer verification requirements and created temporary worker visa categories for agricultural and other seasonal labor.