There were five categories of eligible aliens from before the 1983 amendment until 1986.
From before the 1983 amendment until 1986, the categories of eligible aliens  (1) an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence; (2) an alien who was either married to a United States citizen or was a parent or an unmarried child under the age of twenty-one years of such a citizen and who had filed an application for adjustment of status under the INA; (3) an alien who was lawfully present in the United States as a refugee or who had been granted asylum by the Attorney General; (4) an alien who was lawfully present in the United States as a result of the Attorney General's withholding of deportation; and (5) an alien lawfully present in the United States as a result of being granted conditional entry.