Mr. Speaker. I wiskh to express my support for H.R. 7273. thE Immigration and Nationality Act Amendments of 1980. This measure contain many good provisions which will simplify and make more efficient the work of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. In particular. I want to address myself to section 20 of the bill. which would establish a visa waiver "pilot program" for nonimmigrant visitors to the United States. I have worked for many years to allow implementation of a similar program designed specifically for the territory of Guam. H.R. 848. my bill in this Congress. calls for waiving visa requirements for aliens visiting Guam for not more than 15 days. H.R. 7273 would give the same boost to my home islands tourist industry. provided the proposed pilot program includes Japan among the maximum of five countries to be designated as "pilot countries." Guam depends on tourism as a prime part of its nonmilitary and nongovernmental economy. The largest portion of our tourist trade is from Japan. In 1979 almost 200.000 people traveled to Guam from Japan by airplane out of a total 264.000 visitor air arrivals. Our experience on Guam indicates there has been virtually no overstay problem or other touristrelated difficulty with Japanese tourists. The territory of Guam would benefit greatly from the visa waiver pilot program authorized in H.R. 7273 if the Attorney General and Secretary of State designate Japan as one of the pilot countries. I strongly urge the Houses approval of H.R. 7273 and its visa waiver pilot program provision. Thank you.*
Keywords matched
Naturalization Immigration visa