Speech #1010216727

Chairman. I rise in strong opposition to the amendment offered by my colleague. the gentleman from Connecticut. H.R. 4300 purports to solve a problem for those businessbased Immigrants who also have a permanent visa application outstanding. However. it. instead. would create a real problem for our consular bureau. This amendment. while narrowing somewhat the scope of aliens covered. would still deny our consular officers the ability to refuse a visa to an alien who is clearly intending to stay in the United States permanently. In pure and simple terms. this amendment will encourage an avalanche of visa fraud. Mr. Chairman. I have a cable from the State Department that proves my point. It notes that 80 percent of all H1 visa applications in India are now being denied. It describes how often those applying for the temporary visas described by this amendment are. in fact. attempting to immigrate permanently to the United States. As the telegram notes: It is extremely difficult for an applicant to convince us that he would voluntarily give up a lucrative position in the United States in order to return to India where he would earn only a small fraction of his U.S. salary. A large portion of that 80 percent presently being denied would be allowed to immigrate under this amendment. I do not think that the executive branch or the American public would kindly look on this amendments endorsement of fraudulent visa applications. Mr. Chairman. if these people want to immigrate permanently. then let them apply for permanent visas. Let us not let permanent immigrants masquerade as temporary immigrants. Unfortunately. H.R. 4300. even as amended by this Morrison amendment. would still let that masquerade go on. It would forbid U.S. consular officers from denying a temporary visa to an H or L visa applicant when it is clear to that officer that the alien really wants to stay permanently in the United States. Vote against encouraging visa fraud and vote against this amendment.