The purpose of this legislation is to update the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide certain long-term residents of the United States with a pathway to legal status. The main objective is to make it easier for individuals who have lived in the U.S. for an extended period to regularize their immigration status. Key provisions of the legislation include changing the criteria for eligibility under section 249 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Specifically, it removes the previous requirement that individuals must have entered the U.S. before specific dates in 1924 or 1972.