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China News Digest - US Regional Services (Bo Xiong) --------------- Date: Thu, 3 Aug 1995 02:18:18 GMT Reply-To: ifcss Sender: Newsletter on Chinese Community From: ifcss Subject: HQ NR #9510: Update On Blocking Anti-Immigration Bill Efforts Comments: To: pbs-l@ifcss.org, council-l@ifcss.org Comments: cc: china-nt@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU To: Multiple recipients of list CCNL Status: R For Immediate Release &=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&= HEADQUARTERS NEWSRELEASE * HEADQUARTERS NEWSRELEASE * HEADQUARTERS NEWSREL &^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^ * * * N E W S R E L E A S E 7010 * * * _________ August 3, 1995 __________ [[[[[[ [[[[[[[[[[ [[[[[[ [[[[[[[ [[[[[[[ ______ [[[ [[[ [[[ [[[ [[[ [[[ [[[ [[[ _________ [[[ [[[ [[[ [[[ [[[ [[[ [[[[[[[[ [[[ [[[[[ [[[[[ [[[ [[[ [[[ [[[[[ [[[[[ ______ [[[ [[[ [[[ [[[ [[[ ____ [[[ [[[ [[[ [[[ [[[[ [[[ [[[[ [[[ [[[[[[ [[[[[[ [[[[[[[ [[[[[[[[ [[[[[[[[ &^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^ IFCSS Foundation, Inc. 733 15th Street, NW Suite 440 Washington, DC 20005 Tel: (202) 347-0017 Fax: (202) 347-0018 &=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&= 1. Update Information of Coalitions' Efforts on Blocking the Anti-Immigra- tion Bills in the U.S. Congress During Monday's Coalition Conference, latest developments of Campaign strategy evolved after thoroughful discussions and debates among several dozens of national ethnic groups, immigration-related firms and strate- gists in politics. Three major approaches will be undertaken for the lobby during the coming congressional recess: 1) Split the House Bill H.R. 1915 into two separate bills, that is, to separate the portions regarding legal and illegal immigration (immigrants) into two parts. Considering the roaring waves of anti-illegal immigration, the coalitions will put emphases mainly on parts regarding legal immigra- tion and the benefits of legal immigrants including employment opportuni- ties. IFCSS Task Focre has put this inputs in some of sample letters released in NR #9509. Accordingly, The coalitions will try to block any attempts in Senate for combining the two existing bills (including Simpson 's) into one; 2). Propose amendments to the bills. Several ones have already been drafted by immigration experts; 3). Slow down the legislation process. This was successfully achieved in the past weeks for pushing H.R. 1915 to be postponed till mid-September. IFCSS President Xing Zheng talked with Cecilia Munoze of NCLR, Frank Shary of NIF, Jeanne A. Buttefield of American Immigration Association, Karen K. Narasakii of National Asian Pacific Legal Consortium, John Fredk- sson of Lutheran Immigration Service, etc., for consultation of several technical questions, expressed grave concerns of over 100,000 Chinese students and scholars in this country on the anit-immigration move of the Congress based on inaccurate judgment, and promised that grassroots of CSS community will participate in the joint efforts along with allies throughout the nation. * * * * * 2. "National Lobby Day" for protesting anti-immigration bills has been ten- tatively scheduled on September 11 to 12. Several hundreds of persons from each organization are expected, from national alliances, to gather in Capitol Hill. IFCSS Task Force appeals to CSS close to Washington, D.C. to come to Capitol Hill with signs, for joining in the rally. More details will be relased upon update news available. * * * * * 3. IFCSS Headquarters and Task Force has started the process of lobbying the corporations and institutions, with draft letter completed to their chief executive and personnel officials. The Headquarters welcomes grass- roots CSS to join in the same action. Draft letters will be available upon request. Please send your mail to: hq@ifcss.org, ifcss@center.net or zx11@cornell.edu. * * * * * 4. IFCSS Task Force has compiled two lists of "talking & writing points" which might be useful when CSS want to address some of them in their writ- ings, or talking to, congress members or news media. These points are categorized into two sets, dealing with employment-based and family union- based immigrations, respectively. Please feel free to distribute these materials to local public nets. ------------------------------------- I. Preliminary Issues of CSS' Concerns on Employment-Based Immigration 1). Outstanding researchers and Professors: H.R. 1915 eliminates the special priority category for "outsanding" researchers (and professors) that provides them with first priority for employment-based visas and exempts their employers from costly and time-consuming labor certifica- tion if their "outstanding" status is established. 2). Professionals and skilled workers: H.R. 1915 would deny U.S. emplo- yers access to professionals and skilled workers unless they have at least five years and seven years of experience respectively. Imposition of these arbitrary experience requirements will deny U.S. employers access to highly talented individuals and many professonals and skilled workers who have current familiarity with specific new technologies and processes that are of immediate commercial value. 3). National Interest Waivers: H.R. 1915 eliminates the possibility of a waiver of costly labor certification for employers of professionals with advanced degrees whose immigration is found to be "in the national interest." U.S. employers should not be arbitrarily required to undertake labor certification where the immigration of an advanced degree profes- sional is so obviously in the national interest that it can be certified as such. 4). H-1B nonimmigrants: H.R. 1915 reduces some restrictions on employers use of H-1B nonimmigrant professionals, but allows continued Labor Department inferference through unnecessary regulations and requirements. U.S. employers need to have clear rules that they can comply with and protection when they are in such compliance. Employers who are not "de- pendent" on H-1B nonimmigrants should be exampt from most of the Labor Department regulations and the entire process should be streamlined for them. 5). Employment-Based visas taken for family immigration: H.R. 1915 permits the reduction of employment-based annual admission in certain categories if there is an "excess" in family immigration categories in a given year. American employers and families should not compete for the same visas, and employment-based visas should be available for family immigrants only if there is a surplus in a given year. 6). Employment authorization verfication: H.R. 1915 reduces the number of documents that employers may accept as evidence of employment authoriza- tion but depends on the ability of government agencies to reduce the time necessary to provide such documents from months to days. Many employers may have to wait weeks or months to lawfully employ U.S. workers and legal migrants. H.R. 1915 also establishes "pilot programs" to test a new government employment registry that would require thousands of employers to obtain government clearance for all new hires. 7). Adult children of employment-based immigrants: H.R. 1915 eliminates family immigration by adult sons and daughters of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, which will prohibit many employment-based immigrants from sponsoring their immidiate families to the U.S. 8). Skilled worker restrictions: H.R. 1915 will deny U.S. employers access to skilled workers by accepting Labor Department definitions of specific occupations that declare them to be "unskilled" occupations, which are to be eliminated from employment immigration. U.S. employers need rational definitions of skilled occupations based on real world conditions and the opportunity to sponsor needed international personnel. --------------------------- II. Preliminary Issues of CSS' Concerns on Family Immigration and Due Process 1). Family immigration cap: H.R. 1915 creates a hard cap of 330,000 on family immigration. The cap would create immediate backlogs for spouses and minor children of lawful permanent residents, and would even create potential backlogs for immigration by spouses, minor children, and parents of U.S. citizens. This arbitary limit should be removed. 2). Adult children immigration: it completely eliminates immigration by unmarried and married adult children of U.S. citizens and lawful resi- dents. These preference categories should be restored. 3). Parent immigration: it restricts the ability of U.S. citizens to unite with parents by limiting such immigration to 50,000, requiring that at least 50% of the children reside in the U.S., and imposing an unprece- dented requirement of the purchase of full health insurance before par- ental immigration is allowed. This restriction should be removed. 4). Backlog reduction and fairness: it devotes only 50,000 visas per year for 5 years to the reduction of the current 1.1 million backlog of spou- ses and children of lawful permanent residents. This backlog must be resolved in a more efficient fashion with additional numbers. In additon, there must be fairness for those who have been waiting in siblings and adult children backlogs, who will be prevented from immigrating in spite of waiting lawfully for years. 5). Secret evidence/tribunal: it creates a new secret tribunal that can use secret evidence to deport so-called "alien terrorists" who have not been accused or convicted of breaking any law whatsoever. It's unprece- dented and unconstitutional. ********************************************************************* * PBS-L is IFCSS's news distribution list for individuals. To sign * * on or off from the list, please send email to listserv@ifcss.org * * leave the subject line open and put in the mail body: * * (For signing on) sub PBS-L last name first name * * (For signing off) unsub PBS-L last name first name * * For more information about IFCSS, write to ifcss-info@ifcss.org * *********************************************************************