Answer. It is my understanding that the Department's recommendation with respect to the situation in the Virgin Islands is designed to regularize the status of a large number of persons who have been resident there for some time but who are citizens or nationals of other islands in the Caribbean not forming part of U.S. territory. This "one shot" operation would permit the government to resolve a difficult problem without causing widespread personal hardships.

6. Is the economy of Latin America closely related to economic trends in the United States?

Answer. The answer to this question depends upon which countries, and which aspects of their economies, are referred to. Some countries which depend heavily on U.S. tourism are, of course, extremely sensitive to fairly minor economic fluctuations because of the sensitivity of the tourist industry to these phenomena. This applies particularly to some of the nearby Caribbean countries. Other countries more remote from us may react to economic trends in the United States only in so far as these trends influence the world economy as a whole. There are a number of countries in Latin America which are heavily dependent upon the export of one or several primary products and their economies are highly sensitive to the state of world markets for these products. Economic trends in the United States are, naturally one of the factors influencing world markets but not the only one. Examples are Venezuela (petroleum), Brazil (coffee), Chile (copper), Bolivia (tin, zinc, antimony), and Jamaica (bauxite, alumina).

CONGRESSMAN RODINO

1. In 1965 when we considered amendments to the Immigration and Nationality Act, statistics were sadly lacking about the Western Hemisphere. To your knowledge, has a study ever been made of the number of citizens or residents of the countries of the Western Hemisphere who trace their birth to countries of the Eastern Hemisphere?

Answer. I have no knowledge of any study which would shed light on the number of citizens or residents of the countries of the Western Hemisphere who trace their birth to countries of the Eastern Hemisphere, and my staff has been unable to unearth any such study.

2. Can you supply us with the relative percentage of professional, skilled, semi-skilled, or unskilled workers in Latin America generally?

Answer. Similarly, I have been unable to locate reliable statistics on the relative percentage of professional, skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers in Latin America. However, it is safe to say that by far the greatest percentage falls within the unskilled or semi-skilled categories.

3. Have you detected any trend to "dump", for the lack of a better term, unskilled labor on the United States in times of recession?

Answer. I am unaware of any attempt by Latin American countries to "dump" unskilled labor on the United States in times of recession. If my understanding of the operation of our own visa laws and regulations is correct, it seems to me this would be very difficult to do even if a Latin American Government had such a conscious intent.

4. I understand that OAS is arranging a meeting on the intra-hemispheric migration of workers. Does this indicate that the countries of Latin America are seriously trying to solve their labor problems, migratory as well as permanent? Answer. A resolution of the Third Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labor in November, 1969, called for the establishment of sections on migratory labor within their respective ministries, and also called upon the Secretariat of the OAS to assist them in this regard. The Secretariat is holding a technical level seminar in Jamaica in November of this year on this subject. I assume it is to these activities that you refer. They demonstrate a growing recognition of the problems of labor generally as well as of the special problems surrounding migratory labor. Among the members of the OAS the degree of recognition and the seriousness of purpose varies considerably, however.

5. I am curious about the immigration laws in the various Latin American countries and I think it would be interesting for the record if we knew what their laws are. I am particularly curious as to whether or not Americans and others are eligible to work in the individual countries of Latin America?

Answer. We do not have readily at hand a compendium of Latin American immigration laws. If the Committee were seriously interested, I could query our embassies on this subject. In general, however, I think you would find that their

laws are quite similar to ours and in many cases have actually been modelled upon ours. Just as we issue job certifications, most of the Latin American countries issue work permits to selected foreigners. As you know, a good many Americans are presently employed in Latin America though usually as employees of an American firm. Most Latin American governments specify the number or proportion of the employees of a foreign company which may be foreign nationals, but this is not exactly the same thing as granting or denying work permits to individuals. As a practical matter most of the Americans working in Latin America are high level technical or skilled personnel who are paid in dollars or on a dollar equivalency scale.

CONGRESSMAN EILBERG

1. As you know, the law provides for the temporary admission-an H-2 visafor workers to come to the United States to perform labor services when Americans are not available. There are some areas in the employment picture where it is difficult to find capable Americans—particularly in regard to live-in domestics. Yet, the use of these temporary visas has been opposed and many workers from the Western Hemisphere are required to get immigrant visas when actually they do not want to settle permanently in the United States and they are only needed to fill a gap in the labor market. Do you feel that it would be beneficial to our relations with Latin American countries, if, when the need develops, we admit workers temporarily?

Answer. Yes.

2. We understand that the Cubans continue to look to the United States for asylum. What efforts has the Department made, if any, to encourage Cuban refugees in Mexico and Spain to migrate to countries of Latin America?

Answer. We have made efforts to encourage Cuban refugees outside the United States to settle permanently elsewhere rather than continue to seek emigration to the United States. However, these efforts have not resulted in significant numbers of Cuban refugees settling in other countries. The fact remains that most Cuban refugees want to come to the United States rather than settle in other countries because of greater economic opportunities, family ties, and the lure our country has always had for the uprooted and homeless everywhere. Historically, Cuban refugees and political exiles have been seeking refuge in the United States since before Cuban independence in 1898.

3. Are the countries of Latin America interested in taking Cuban refugees? Answer. We have also encouraged the countries of Latin America to receive Cuban refugees. There are, we believe, some 30,000 Cuban refugees residing in the various countries of the Hemisphere.

4. If the United States would discontinue the Havana-Miami airlift for Cuban refugees, what in your opinion would be the reaction in Latin America?

Answer. I anticipate that the reaction of the Latin American governments to a discontinuation of the Cuban refugee airlift would be one of puzzlement and disappointment: puzzlement because it would be inconsistent with our policy of providing a haven for oppressed peoples, and disappointment because it would appear to be a failure on our part to fulfill our moral commitment to those thousands of Cubans who registered for the airlift more than four years ago and are still waiting for permission to leave and who have suffered harsh treatment and deprivation during the intervening years. As you know, the airlift has reunited many thousands of divided families, and continues to enable many more to join their relatives in the United States.

5. I know of the efforts of the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration to attract skilled workers to Latin America. Are the countries of Latin America developing the skilled workers which they urgently need?

Answer. Once again, it depends which Latin American country you are referring to. A number of countries are doing quite well in developing skilled workers and some, like Argentina and Uruguay, even have a surplus. The less industrialized countries still suffer from shortages in skilled workers and from deficiencies in the educational and training institutions that they need to produce them.

As you know, the Selective Migration Program for Latin America of the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration (ICEM) relates not only to skilled workers, but to the permanent immigration of professional workers (engineers, professors, doctors, social scientists, etc.). There is a definite shortage of such professional workers in most Latin American countries and efforts have been made to fill this need through the provision of professional consultants who stay for two or three years a a cost of about $20,000 a year. ICEM is able

to supply permanent immigrants to fill this need at a one-time cost of less than $1,000 per each professional worker.

6. Are the countries of Latin America attracting any American skilled workers? Answer. My answer to Congressman Rodino's question number five is responsive to this question as well. As a practical matter those American skilled workers employed in Latin America are working for American companies or institutions of the Latin American governments themselves almost without exception. It is my impression that there are very few Americans who have simply migrated to Latin America in search of work. In general, American skilled workers require dollar salaries or at least a dollar equivalent pay scale, before they consider moving to Latin America to work.

CONGRESSMAN MAYNE

1. Your remarks about the population explosion in Latin America concern me as to the possible effect upon immigration from this hemisphere. Your predecessor, the Honorable Thomas Mann, in 1964, predicted that the population in Latin America will have increased in this century from some 69 million to some 600 million people. You indicate that the demand for emigration to the United States is high and will continue to grow. Could you give us an approximate idea of what this increasing demand would mean in terms of numbers?

Answer. The gross level of population in any given area is only one of a number of determinates of the total demand for emigration to the United States. Others are the personal mobility of individuals, their levels of education and training, economic conditions at home, and so on. Under these circumstances I know of no way that even an approximate projection of demand can be made. It is sufficient to note, I think, that the immigration visa backlog as of January 1, 1970 was 148,000 and today it is 175,000 (including Cuban refugees). These figures suggest that substantial and growing backlogs can be anticipated for the future.

2. The 1969 Immigration Service report indicates that only 50 percent of those immigrants reporting professional and technical skills who entered in 1969 came from South America, while of the nearly 17,000 private household workers, 12.534 came from Mexico, Jamaica, Trinidad and other Western Hemisphere countries. The Census Bureau estimates that by 1975, more than seventy percent of the net inflow of migrants to the metropolitan areas will be foreign immigrants and about one third of the total projected population growth in the United States by the year 2000 will be attributed to immigration. Would you care to comment on the type of immigrants you would anticipate will be coming to the United States from Latin America and what their contribution to our society will be? Answer. It seems likely that the greatest number of immigrants to the United States will continue to be persons in the unskilled or semi-skilled categories with a small but extremely important number of highly skilled professional people. I don't feel it is my role to comment on what their contribution to our society will be other than to say that I see no reason why they should not become good and useful citizens as both they and immigrants from other areas have in the past.

3. You recommend that Cuban refugees not be counted against the Western Hemisphere ceiling. Is the Department assuming that the great majority of the Cuban refugees will become permanent residents, or is there some anticipation that a number will return to Cuba at a future date?

Answer. I believe we have to assume that the majority of Cuban refugees admitted to the United States will become permanent residents and eventually citizens.

STATEMENT OF HON. BARBARA M. WATSON, ADMINISTRATOR, BUREAU OF SECURITY AND CONSULAR AFFAIRS; ACCOMPANIED BY FREDERICK SMITH, JR., DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR, BUREAU OF SECURITY AND CONSULAR AFFAIRS, AND MISS ELIZABETH J. HARPER, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, VISA OFFICE, DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Mr. FEIGHAN. Our next witness is a very young old friend of ours whom we have had the privilege to hear on previous occasions, and to

discuss with her, problems affecting immigration throughout the world.

We are very happy on this occasion again to have the privilege of hearing from the Honorable Barbara M. Watson, who is the Administrator of the Bureau of Security and Consular Affairs.

On behalf of the Subcommittee, Miss Watson, I wish to extend to you a very warm and cordial welcome.

Miss WATSON. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. It is always a pleasure to appear before the committee.

Mr. EILBERG. May I interrupt for just a moment, Mr. Chairman. I wish to supplement what Chairman Feighan has said. Everyone knows of your expertise in immigration matters and your ever-ready willingness to cooperate with the Committee. I would like to comment on your simply wonderful staff and their great help to us, and also to acknowledge particularly in the room Mr. Gene Krizek, who helps us a lot in working with you and your Department; and finally, on a personal note and for the record, I would like everyone to know that my community in Philadelphia supports Barbara Watson.

Miss WATSON. Thank you very much.

Mr. RODINO. Not wanting to be outdone, there is nothing left for me to say except ditto, ditto. I think that just about does it, because I have high respect and great regard and a tremendous amount of admiration for the kind of work that has been done and the effective cooperation you and your staff and my good friend, Gene Krizek, and others have always been ready to give.

I have read your statement, which I think is excellent. I do not agree with it in its entirety, but I think as always your contribution is helpful.

Miss WATSON. Thank you very much. You are all very gracious. I particularly appreciate the wonderful compliments you have paid to my excellent staff. They are very much deserving of it. We anticipate continued cooperation with your Committee.

Mr. MAYNE. Miss Watson, I am a comparatively new member on the Committee, so I can look forward to a very pleasant relationship with you and your bureau on the basis of what my colleagues have attested to. I have heard this from other sources as well.

Miss WATSON. Thank you very much.

Mr. FEIGHAN. I would like the record to show Miss Watson is accompanied by two other good friends of our Subcommittee: Mr. Frederick Smith, Jr., Deputy Administrator of the Bureau of Security and Consular Affairs; and also Miss Elizabeth J. Harper, Deputy Director of the Visa Office. We likewise extend to you a cordial welcome. We are very glad to have both of you accompanying Miss Watson.

You may proceed.

Miss WATSON. Thank you.

Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to have this opportunity to discuss with you and the other members of the Committee the immigration system as it has evolved since all of the 1965 amendments became fully effective some 2 years ago. Although there are certain aspects of Eastern Hemisphere immigration which should be mentioned, I wish to deal particularly with the problems which have arisen in the Western Hemisphere, especially with regard to Canada. The proposed changes in the law that I will recommend are included in a comprehensive bill

that has been recently transmitted by the Department of State to the Congress.

Briefly, with respect to the Eastern Hemisphere, there are heavy backlogs in the third and sixth preference categories throughout the Hemisphere. This is especially true in Italy, the Philippines, and in certain of the dependencies where there are heavy backlogs in these categories and in some of the other preferences. Accordingly, we believe that certain changes should be made in the present preference system (1) to reduce the percentage reserved for the first preference category, (2) to increase the third and sixth preference categories, and (3) to provide for "fall-down" of visa numbers not required for higher preference categories to third and sixth preference. Consideration should also be given to whether, and how, to try to deal with the ever-increasing demand in the fifth preference category. In any event, we believe that the fifth preference of the 170,000 limitation should be reduced from 24 percent to 20 percent and the seventh preference increased by 4 percent to 10 percent of the limitation. As you know, the volume of refugees who qualify under the seventh preference criteria has grown sharply in the last few years and the present allocation is simply inadequate for present needs. We believe that increasing the percentage from 6 percent to 10 percent would insure the continuation of a widely recognized, ongoing program under general criteria essentially established a decade ago. The willingness of the United States to accept a definite number of refugees each year gives a basis for hope to thousands of homeless people and encourages other governments to maintain liberal asylum policies for the admission of refugees.

I should emphasize that these recommendations affect principally the amount of visa numbers available to several of the preferences within the present system. It is to early, in our opinion, to consider more drastic revisions of the system applicable to the Eastern Hemisphere, such as changes in the order and classification of preferences or in the 170,000 annual limitation.

The situation in the Western Hemisphere has evolved rapidly since the imposition of the ceiling 2 years ago. And the results have been so troublesome that serious consideration should now be given to remedial action. In the 2 years since the imposition of the Western Hemisphere limitation, the demand for visa numbers has consistently exceeded the supply. Thus, the waiting period for the issuance of a visa to an alien chargeable to the Western Hemisphere has steadily increased and has now reached 13 months. Furthermore, it appears that the demand will continue to be heavy.

This situation affects all countries in the Western Hemisphere to some extent, but by far the most seriously affected is Canada. In fiscal year 1968, the last year prior to the imposition of the hemisphere limitation, some 30,000 natives of Canada obtained immigrant visas, including immediate relatives, ministers of religion, or other special immigrants who are exempt from any numerical limitation. In fiscal year 1969, a total of approximately 16,000 natives of Canada obtained immigrant visas, including some 4,000 immediate relatives or others not subject to the numerical limitation. In the fiscal year just ended, the total dropped again, this time to slightly more than 12,000, of whom about 4,500 were not subject to the numerical limitation. Thus, only about 7,500 Canadians were able to receive numerically restricted visas.