Speech #930121260

The family did establish a priority date on the nonpreference waiting list for Great Britain since the father was British born. Sadly. the father died in July of 1972 and his wife was no longer eligible for the British number. The wife has now received a priority date of June 12. 1972. and in view of the fact that the State Department is now processing applications for visas with priority dates in 1971. she might be granted a visa by June 1974. But it will still be necessary for her son to obtain a labor certification since he would still be ineligible for parole into the country even when a visa becomes available for his mother. The son did get an offer of fulltime employment as a livein domestic employee. but first the Labor Department needed proof that he had worked full time in this capacity for 1 year. Other job offers he has received have been disapproved by the Department of Labor and the latest information is that he should seek employment as a lathe operatorbut. once he receives his labor certification. he must still wait approximately 2 years for entry. In the meantime. they are not allowed to seek employment in Spain and depend on their relatives in the United States for financial help. The futility of my efforts and my feeling of helplessness to do anything about this tragic situation have made this one of the most frustrating experiences I have ever had. H.R. 981 will give top priority to reuniting families by applying the Eastern Hemisphere preference system to Western Hemisphere immigrants. It will exempt from the ceiling Cuban refugees already in the United States on the date of enactment who adjust their status to permanent residents. This provision will affect over 50.000 Cubans who have already applied for status adjustment and probably many others who are eligible. but have not applied. And this provision will permit the entry of additional Cubans.