Speech #850261084

Most of them are married to American citizens. The Committee on the Judiciary. heavily burdened with private bills. has for a long time felt the necessity for the enactment of the legislation which we are bringing up today. After an extensive study was made by the committee in the 84th Congress. a recommendation was made that the law should provide for an administrative procedure. under which an alien. eligible to have his temporary status in the United States changed to that of an immigrant admitted for permanent residence. would be in a position to adjust his status without resorting to the device of departing from the United States to Canada for the sole purpose of obtaining there an immigrant visa and returning immediately. This is essentially a procedural measure designed to simplify existing practices and to save the United States Government. as well as the eligible aliens and their families. considerable expense involved in the preexamination procedure and the journeys to Canada. Provision for such procedure was made in the original House bill which resulted in the enactment of the Immigration and Nationality Act. That provision was considerably altered in the Senate and it is this change that we are attempting to correct at this time. In no way does this legislation affect the standards of eligibility which the prospective immigrant has to meet under the Immigration and Nationality Act. This legislation. except for the amendment. does not affect in any way the numerical limitations as set forth in existing immigration quotas. The language of this bill has been carefully drawn so as not to grant undeserved benefits to the unworthy or the undesirable immigrant. The benefits of this bill would be available. in the discretion of the Attorney General. solely to aliens who are eligible to receive an immigrant visa under all the qualitative and quantitative criteria of our basic immigration laws. They would not enjoy any priority to the possible detriment of intending immigrants who wait outside the United States until their turn is reached on the consular waiting list. Similarly. the benefits of this legislation will not be available to immigrants who could not establish to the Attorney Generals satisfaction that they were admitted to the United States as bona fide nonimmigrants. We believe that a very high percentage of the aliens benefiting from this legislation. possibly as much as 75 percent. would be wives or husbands of United States citizens. with the remainder of the beneficiaries falling under the category of skilled specialists whose services are urgently needed in the United States by our industry. agriculture. institutions of education. hospitals. laboratories. and certain nonquota immigrants in the refugee category or due to their birth in the Western Hemisphere. A relatively small number of aliens made eligible to enter the United States as immigrants under sections 5. 6. 7. and 15 of the act of September 11. 1957. would also benefit from this legislation under conditions prescribed in that act. The Committee on the Judiciary unanimously recommended the enactment of this legislation. The committee amendment is designed to extend for 1 year. that is. from July 1. 1957. to July 1. 1958. the nonquota status granted to allens possessing special skills needed in our economy.