1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Veterans’ Pathway to Citizenship Act of 2017 . 2. Naturalization of veterans during periods of hostilities (a) Naturalization of veterans during periods of hostilities Section 329 of the Immigration and Nationality Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1440 ) is amended by adding at the end the following: (d) Remedies (1) Immigration status (A) Assumption of Lawful Permanent Resident status For purposes of this title, any current or former member of the Armed Forces who would be eligible for naturalization under this section but is not by reason of a failure to complete a specified period of residence or physical presence within the United States under this title or failure to maintain status as a lawful permanent resident shall, upon application for naturalization, be deemed to be a lawful permanent resident and to have fulfilled any residency and physical presence requirements solely for purposes of such current or former member’s application for naturalization. (B) Prior removals In the case of any current or former member of the Armed Forces who is seeking naturalization under this section, no prior removal may be taken into account for purposes of eligibility for any immigration benefit or in determining deportability, or inadmissibility, including for purposes of the application of sections 212(a)(9) and 318. (2) Pardons (A) In general Except as provided in subparagraph (B), in the case of a current or former member of the Armed Forces who receives a pardon for an offense, that offense may not be taken into account for purposes of an application for naturalization under this section, including as to— (i) requirements under section 212