The following is collected and archived by CND-US. If you have any questions regarding the following information/message, please contact the original sender(s) listed below. Thank You. China News Digest - US Regional Services (Bo Xiong) --------------- Date: Fri, 11 Aug 1995 20:37:32 -0400 Reply-To: asiam@CENTER.NET Sender: Newsletter on Chinese Community From: asiam@CENTER.NET Subject: Information about the Anti-Immigration Bills To: Multiple recipients of list CCNL Status: RO LEGISLATION THREATENS ABILITY TO HIRE FOREIGN SCIENTISTS AND OTHER WORKERS The high technology industry often has to look outside the United States to hire scientists, engineers, and technicians with the cutting-edge skills and experience critical to expansion. However, spreading anti-immi- grant sentiment may limit freedom to hire these workers. On July 20, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration passed a bill that will subs- tantially reduce the overall number of employment-based visas and will eliminate some categories of employment-based immigration altogether. Rep. Lamer Smith (R-TX) introduced H.R. 1915 on June 22. The bill addre- sses both illegal and legal immigration and enjoys broad by-partisan support. The full House Judiciary Committee is expected to consider the bill in early September with a floor vote soon thereafter. Senator Alan Samson (R-WY) will introduce a similar bill which is expected to restrict non-immigrant visas as well as immigrant visas. Specifically, H.R. 1915: * Reduces employment-based immigration to a maximum of 135,000 per year. This is expected to create significant backlogs in visa availability for professional and skilled immigrants. * Establishes Rigid Experience Requirements for Professionals and Skilled Workers. Professionals will be required to have five years of work experience in addition to the current requirement of a college degree. Skilled workers will be required to show seven years of training or experience rather than the current two years. These arbitrary requirements will hinder the ability of employers to hire aliens with only a few years of critical experience in state-of-the-art technology even when there are no U.S. workers with the needed skills. * Eliminates Labor Certification Exemption for Outstanding Professors and Researchers. Employers will be burdened with a new requirement to obtain labor certification verifying that there are no U.S. workers qualified and available before permanently hiring outstanding professors and researchers. * Eliminates National Interest Waiver Immigration. Foreign nationals whose presence in the U.S. is deemed to benefit the U.S. economy, health care or culture will be subject to the labor certification requirement (proof that no U.S. workers are qualified and available) from which they are currently exempt. * Eliminates Unskilled Worker Immigration Category. Employers will be completely barred from hiring foreign workers for positions which the Department of Labor classifies as unskilled even where the employer can show that it cannot find U.S. workers to fill the positions. * Restricts Family-Based Immigration. U.S. citizens and permanent resi- dents will be unable to bring their adult sons and daughters to the U.S. and will have more difficulty bringing in other family members, thus sepa- rating foreign workers from their families. High technology businesses who rely on foreign workers to maintain a competitive edge have an important interest in this legislation. Congress must learn how important foreign workers are to their business and their ability to compete in the international economy. Such businesses can take the following steps to protect their interests: * Call their Members of Congress in Washington (202/224-3121) or at their local offices. * Join with other high technology businesses in a coalition with those who share their concerns in order to pool resources and coordinate efforts to educate and persuade Congress. The law firm of Arent Fox Kintner Plotkin & Kahn is prepared to serve as Washington, D.C. counsel to the coalition on this important legislation, using the resources of its experienced legislative and immigration law groups. * Support organizations with similar immigration concerns. For example, the Independent Federation of Chinese Students and Scholars (IFCSS) has a common interest in preventing these arbitrary barriers to employment of foreign workers from being erected. The IFCSS has, since the time of the Tian-An-Men massacre, been a strong voice advocating for its member, who are highly educated professionals, scholars, and students in the United States. The IFCSS has demonstrated its ability to carry out well organized grass roots efforts to inform and persuade members of Congress on important issues, including immigration law. In 1991-1993, the IFCSS has successfully lobby the Congress to pass the Chinese Students Protection Act (CSPA) which has benefited tens of thousands of Chinese Students and Scholars (who come to the United States before April 11th 1990) and their families to become legal permanent residents in this country. The success of CSPA lobbying by the IFCSS is unprecedent in the modern history of immigration law. Through the CSPA lobbying, the IFCSS has established a vast network on internet, which allows the members of the IFCSS all over the United States to response and react to the coordinated effort of the IFCSS. Nowadays, many high tech companies rely on the skills and expertise of Chinese nationals they employ. This becomes even more crucial especially at this time because China and its huge economic force are becoming more and more important in the world economy. By supporting IFCSS' legislative lobbying effort, these important resource can be more effectively used to stop this dangerous legislation. For more information, contact John T. Mitchell or Lynn Frendt Shotwell at Arent Fox Kintner Plotkin & Kahn, 202/857-6258. At the IFCSS, contact Zheng Xing, President, at 202/347-0017 (Fax: 202/347-0018).