Speech #1000116142

I very strongly believe that we cannot tolerate such unfairness. S. 1611 proposes a creative solution to this problem. It does not weaken the family reunification system. and continues to assign the same 216.000 annual immigrant visas to that system. The innovation that S. 1611 proposes is to create an additional 50.000 visas. and to assign them on a different basis. These visas are set aside for applicants who qualify on the basis of a new point system. The maximum points available for the bills various criteria are as follows: age. 10 points. education. 12. higher education. 15. vocational preparation. 10. desired skill. 20. experience in desired skill. 10. arranged employment. 20. adversely affected country. 30. U.S. citizen sibling. 10. and ability to speak and write English. 10 points. Under S. 1611. an applicant must score a minimum of 70 points in order to qualify. The system provides for a maximum of 147 points. The explicit intention underlying this new point system is to redress the inequity suffered by applicants from the 36 countries adversely affected by the Immigration Act of 1965. In order to determine if S. 1611. as drafted. will achieve its stated objective. or if there is a better way of doing so. I have submitted questions for the record of the Senate Immigration Subcommittee hearing on the bill scheduled for October 23. I will be happy to share the responses to these questions with my colleagues. In closing. I also want to commend Senator SIMPsoN and Representative BRIAN J. DONNELLY of Massachusetts for their leadership in this area. Thanks to their efforts. an experimental 2year program. known as the NP5 Program. allowing for an additional 10.000 nonpreference visas. was created by section 314 of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. The overwhelming response to the NP5 Program provides additional proof that we need to reform the present system. More than 1 million written requests were submitted from all over the world in response to that program. That is more than 100 applications for every one visa this program made available. Mr. President.