WASHINGTON: The House and the Senate last week overwhelmingly approved a far reaching immigration reform Dill that promotes family reunification and seeks to attract highly skilled workers to American industries suffering from labor shortages. The White House indicated that President Bush will sign the bill.

The proposed law envisages the overall number of immigrants to be admitted to the United States to rise to 700,000 annually from 1992 through 1994 and fall back to 675,000 in 19S and succeeding years. The current limit is $40,000 annually.

The measure raises the influx of immigrants under the family reunification provisions to 505,000 annually over the next three years, dropping to 480,000 in 1995. The current limit is 436,000 a year.

Preferences Rise

The existing preferences for immigrants ‘with much needed professional, job or educational skills under the new bill would increase from 54,000 to 140,000.

In the first year, of the 700,000 immigrants allowed to enter the U.S, 465,000 would be relatives of American citizens and permanent resident aliens who would enter under the second and fifth preference systems.

In addition, 140,000 would be the so called “classic” immigrants seeking job opportunities but with no immediate relatives; 40,000 would be residents of nations, mostly European, that have been allowed relatively few immigrants in recent years, and 55,000 would be spouses and children of aliens who were granted legal status under the amnesty program of the last major immigration reform legislation in 1986.

This provision certainly comes as good news to a number of Indians, among others, who were eligible for amnesty under the 1986 program but who faced the heart ‘wrenching possibility that their spouses and children could be deported because they had joined them later and did not qualify for amnesty.

After 1994, the 675,000 immigrant visas would be divided this way: 480,000 to immediate relatives of American citizens ‘and permanent resident aliens; 140,000 to workers with specialized skills, and 55,000 ethnic diversity visas to foreigners who do not have relatives in the U.S. who could sponsor them under the family reunification provisions of current immigration law.

The 1965 act, which eliminated a quota system that gave preferential treatment to certain nationalities while virtually barring

The measure, which becomes law after the President’s signature, also contained provisions that eased restrictions on the admission to the U.S. of entire classes of people, ranging from Communists and homosexuals to people suffering from acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS),

However, although these provisions removed sweeping prohibitions and barriers that dated back to the 1950’s and to Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy’s attacks on people he accused of being Communist and unpatriotic, negotiators in conference added a clause that gives the Secretary of State the prerogative to bar the entry of others with radical or fringe political bents.

Most Comprehensive

Rep, Bruce Morrison, Democrat of Connecticut, the chief sponsor of the House version and an author of the conference committee compromise, called the new legislation the most comprehensive immigration measure in the nation’s history.

Sen. Alan K. Simpson, Republican of Wyoming, who had threatened to block the passage of the bill, it did not meet his demands, which included a tightening of the family reunification provisions, particularly the fifth preference, described the final compromise as “a good blend.”

For Skilled Newcomers

Apparently trying to deflect charges that he had attempted to tamper with the family gely benefited Asians and Hispanics, Simpson said, “My major goal was to direct more of the immigrant flow to the skilled, employer based immigrant the guy ready to work. This was the classic immigrant, the guy who comes to America for opportunity.”

Simpson declared that his rationale for trying to restrict family reunification under the fifth preference was because “I also was looking for a national level of immigration. If we’re going to bring in families, bring in spouses and minor children, not uncles and aunts, bring in precious family.”

Attempts Foiled

Earlier, Sen. Paul Simon, Democrat of Milionis who is a member of the Senate Subcommittee on Immigration along with ‘Simpson and Edward M. Kennedy, Demorat of Massachusetts, had thwarted Simpson’s attempts to restrict the second and fifth preference to unmarried children under 21 years and under and “never married” brothers and sisters under 26 years.

Simon, at the urging of Asian American groups, including Indians, had contended that Asian culture was such that brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles were an integral part of the family and couldn’t simply be neglected on the basis of a “nuclear family” as envisioned in the indigenous American sense.

Kennedy Was Lobbied

Kennedy, who had supported Simpson at the outset, also finally came around when he was lobbied by Asian American groups and supported Simon’s amendment. This not only preserves the family reunification provisions but also increases the number of visas made available annually.

The initial House version introduced by Morrison was launched on the premise that insured not only the preservation of family reunification but also envisaged the diversity of future immigrants.

Morrison declared his bill was “a practical system to make our immigration laws correspond to the reasons immigration has always renewed our nation.”

Article extracted from this publication >> November 16, 1990