Speech #900104746

Mr. Speaker. even under very optimistic assumptions. assumptions which in reality may not be warranted. it may take 10 years to put fifth preference status Italians on the same basis of equality as those from other nations. According to the latest report issued by the Visa Office. immigrant visas are available for Italians in this category only if they were registered prior to Of the 112 countries and areas to which these preferences apply. 34 are oversubscribed for fifth preference visas. That is. there are 34 nations with more fifth preference applicants than for whom visas can be granted. Of these 34 countries. the "cutoff date" for 33 is July 1. 1966.- In other words. one applying for permanent immigration from one of these 33 nations must have filed a petition with the Attorney General prior to July 1. 1966. in order to obtain a visa. Only if one is applying from Italy. the 34th nation. must his petition have been filed prior to March 1. 1955. in order to obtain a fifth preference visa. Italy is over 12 years behind any other nation. Mr. Speaker. the present situation is inconsistent with the philosophy underlying our new immigration and naturalization policy in two ways. First. it discriminates against fifth preference status Italians. The order of magnitude is not a difference of a few months or even 1 or 2 years. Fifth preference Italians are 12 years behind other nationalities. An Italian filing for a fifth preference visa on July 2. 1966. will probably have to wait for 10 or more years at the minimum before obtaining that visa. By comparison. although one from Iraq filing on the same date could not obtain a visa under the fifth preference category during August. 1967. he may well be able to obtain the visa in the very near future. In the second place. the situation militates against our policy designed to facilitate the reuniting of families. Once again. it is not a matter of months. or even 2 years. but a matter of 10 or more years before present applicants might obtain a visa. During this time period circumstances might occur as to preclude an applicant from this status. His U.S. relative might die. the applicant himself might die. In the latter case. his spouse and children. whose status depended upon that of the deceased. would lose their fifth preference status. If unable to otherwise qualify for a permanent visa. they would be permanently precluded from joining their brotherinlaw or sisterinlaw. aunts or uncles in the United States. I have today introduced legislation which would eliminate these harsh inequitiesinequities which to some extent are the result of our former irrational immigration policy under which quotas for immigrants were based upon nationality. In effect. my bill will confer the status of an immediate relative. within the meaning of section 201(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 19658 U.S.C. 1151(b) -to any one who has filed with the Attorney General prior to July 1. 1966. a petition for admission under the fifth preference category. The petitioner. his spouse and children will be able to obtain a permanent visa not withstanding any numerical limitation applicable to his country. to his preference category or to the annual number of immigrants permitted to enter the United States. In order to qualify as an immediate relative. the alien must at the time of application for a visa be found to have retained the requisite relationship. The purpose and effect of this bill are to place Italians in relatively the same situation as aliens of other nations. By so doing. the principle of equality underlying our new immigration policies will be reinforced and made meaningful for Italy. My bill would also strengthen the policy of family reunification inherent in the 1965 act. In his letter. of July 23. 1963. to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House. recommending revision and modernization of our immigration policies. President Kennedy stressed the need for legislation which would take into account "the family relationship between immigrants and persons already here. so that the reuniting of families is encouraged." President Johnson. in his message to the Congress concerning immigration on January 13. 1965. pointed out that as the result of the then current law and policies. "thousands of our citizens are needlessly seperated from their parents or other close relatives." He recommended preferences that "would favor close relatives and citizens and permanent residents. and thus serve to promote the reuniting of familieslong a primary goal of American immigration policy." In its report to accompany H.R. 2580. which was subsequently enacted as the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965. the House Committee on the Judiciary pointed out that Congress "has progressively enacted special legislation to permit the reuniting of families." In commenting on the bill. the report stated: Reunification of families is emphasized as the foremost consideration. The bill has a revised order of preferences to first reunite families (H. Rept.