If they arrived (but with no immigrant arrival record*) in the 1940’s they might be eligible for Registry/Lawful Entry proceedings after 1965 or 1986.  Let me explain.

This question highlights how Registry proceedings were always “after the fact.”  The 1929 Act called it “Registry,” but by the early 1940’s INS changed the name to “Lawful Entry”—but it was the same legal provision, and remained the same provision in the law to this day.  

The 1929 Act set an arrival “cut-off date” for eligibility.  This means under the 1929 Act only people who arrived prior to June 3, 1921, could apply for Registry.  Over the years Congress updated the law, moving the date forward.  Whenever they moved the date forward additional people (later arrivals) became eligible for this form of “legalization.”  The changes were:

1929 (45 STAT 1512) Eligible if entered (arrived) prior to June 3, 1921

1939 (53 STAT 1243) Eligible if entered (arrived) prior to July 1, 1924

1952 (66 STAT 219) Eligible if entered (arrived) prior to July 1, 1924

1958 (Pub. L. 85–616) Eligible if entered (arrived) prior to June 28, 1940

1965 (Pub. L. 89–236) Eligible if entered (arrived) prior to June 30, 1948

1986 (Pub. L. 99–603, as amended by Pub. L. 100–525) Eligible if entered (arrived) prior to January 1, 1972

Thus if someone arrived in 1945 but without an immigrant arrival record*, they would not become eligible for Registry/Lawful Entry proceedings until 1965.  If they arrived in 1949 they would not be eligible until 1986.

ALSO, the USCIS Registry Files only hold this material between 1929 and 1944.  Beginning April 1, 1944, all applications for Registry/Lawful Entry were filed in an A-file.  And if the person naturalized prior to April 1, 1956, all that material would have moved to the C-file.  

Sorry it is so complicated.  I hope this helps,

Marian Smith

*You might find someone recorded in the records as admitted temporarily (non-immigrant arrival, or crewman record).  But that is not a record of admission as an immigrant, so they have no record of LPR admission.

We know absolutely nothing about the families of my husband's
great-grandparents, who arrived in the US with their children in
1908. However, I have located a ship manifest listing them as going
to Ness Ziona in Palestine in 1928 to visit a "parent". The
Wikipedia article on Ness Ziona mentions two censuses done there by
the British Mandate authorities in 1922 and 1931. Can anyone tell
me what form these censuses took? Were they just headcounts, or did
they actually list household members by name? If the latter, can
anyone tell me where they would be available to view? It would be
exciting if I could learn something about the relatives of these
great-grandparents in this way! Also, if anyone knows of any other
types of records from that time frame that would have been kept in
Ness Ziona and might still be extant, I would love to know about
them. Thank you.
Ava Nackman
_._,_._,_

To better ensure those with a knowledgeable response notice your question, may I suggest reposting this question under a more informative title?  Something like: "Flash Player will disappear: how do I preserve family tree posted on MyCanvas?"
Good luck with your enquiry.
Joyaa ANTARES, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

Is there somebody having connections with BIALYI family who lived in Grodno (Belarus) in the second half of XIXth century. I know Schlioma, married to Beila, both parents of Pessia born in 1886.
Jacques Klein

Hi, I've posted four records in Hungarian for which I need translations. It is on ViewMate at the following addresses:

https://www.jewishgen.org/viewmate/viewmateview.asp?key=VM86515

https://www.jewishgen.org/viewmate/viewmateview.asp?key=VM86516

https://www.jewishgen.org/viewmate/viewmateview.asp?key=VM86517

https://www.jewishgen.org/viewmate/viewmateview.asp?key=VM86518

Please respond via the form provided on the ViewMate image page.

Thank you very much!

Jason Lohn