IL HB4961

Amends the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act to add "immigration-status coercion" as a factor courts must consider when evaluating parental relocation petitions involving children

Defines immigration-status coercion as conduct intended to control or intimidate the other parent by: withholding immigration documents, refusing to provide information needed to file or renew lawful status, or threatening to report the parent to immigration authorities

Requires expedited court hearings (within 30 days of filing) for relocation petitions when a parent's lawful immigration status expires within 180 days and renewal difficulties are substantially caused by the other parent's coercion or document withholding

Allows courts to consider whether immigration-status coercion could cause parent-child separation, destabilize primary caregiving, or negatively affect the child's safety and well-being