The War Brides Act was enacted in 1945 to allow spouses and adopted children of United States military personnel to enter the U.S. after World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. The law temporarily lifted the ban on Asian immigration and the quotas on European immigration that had been established by the Immigration Act of 1924

Immigration Act of 1924

The Immigration Act of 1924, or Johnson–Reed Act, including the National Origins Act, and Asian Exclusion Act , was a United States federal law that limited the annual number of immigrants who could be admitted from any country to 2% of the number of people from that country who were already...

. The provisions of the War Brides Act were extended and amended by the Alien Fiancées and Fiancés Act of 1946 and the Soldier Brides Acts of 1946 and 1947.