Subject: HQ NR #7055: IFCSS HQ's Open Letter to Officials of High Education and Leaders of Business and High Technology on Simpson Bill S 1394

From: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 20 Nov 1995 22:18:43 -0500

*  *  *    N E W S   R E L E A S E   7055   *  *  *
             _________   November 20, 1995   __________

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IFCSS Foundation, Inc. 733 15th Street, NW  Suite 440 Washington,
     D.C. 20005   Tel: (202) 347-0017      Fax: (202) 347-0018
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           IFCSS Headquarters' Open Letter to Officials of  High 
           Education and Leaders of Business and High Technology 
                 in the U.S.A. on Simpson's Bill S 1394

IFCSS Headquarters is releasing a draft of an open letter to officials of 
the  high education  and international educators, leaders of business and 
high technology throughout the United States. The recipients will include
two to three hundred business leaders, one hundred state and federal gov-
ernmental officials, two hundred university presidents  and  directors of
international offices on campuses.    IFCSS requests local  CSSA  leaders  
endorse the letter for further forwardings to university authorities, and 
enterprise president and CEOs. Please send your organization's name  back
to the Headquarters for the final preparation. Please feel free to forwa-
rd it anywhere you believe it is whothwhile.   By the way, the  IFCSS  is 
still in the stage of financial difficulty. The advertisements  will  not 
be able to be out if the donation drive is below the expectation.  We en-
courage a $20 donation from all concerned individuals as suggested before
tax deductable). Please send your support to the Headquarters for all the 
actions including the expenses for distributing letters and paying labors.
Your support is highly appreciated, thank you.

                          *   *   *   *   *

From: Headquarters of The Independent Federation of Chinese
      Students and Scholars in the U.S.A. (IFCSS)
To:   Officials of High Education,
      Leaders of Business and High Technology, in the United States

The research institutions and the high technology industries often have to 
look outside the United States to employ scientists, engineers and techni-
cians with the cutting-edge knowledge,  skills and experience essential to 
expansion. However,   spreading anti-immigrant sentiment may limit freedom 
to retain these critical human resources. Moreover, the legislators in the 
Capitol Hill nowadays are unprecendentedly pushing  forward  the  legisla-
tions in Congress, which will drastically reform the employment- and skill
-based  immigration, and substantially change the current system which has 
been functional, as the core to maintain the  high  competitive  strength, 
globally, of the U.S.A. throughout the fields of science, education,  high
technology and business, etc.

The Independent Federation of Chinese Students and  Scholars  in  the  USA 
(IFCSS) has learnt that, on November 3rd, Senator Alan Simpson of  Wyoming 
introduced the bill, S 1394, which harshly slashes legal  and  employment-
based immigration. The provisions in this bill include:

1). Worldwide employment-based preference  is  reduced to  90,000  from 
    current 140,000;

2). Labor Certificate (L.C.) becomes very difficult to  obtain  because
    employers must pay 25% fee (value of the annual compensation inclu-
    ding wages, benefits, and all other compensation) for each applica-
    tion;

3). H-1B worker must have 2 years experience outside the U.S. in their 
    specialty occupation after obtaining the  most  recently  received 
    degree (it means everyone  must leave the  U.S. for 2 years before 
    coming back for employment) 

4). Maximal stay  for  Non-immigrant H-1B and L visas is reduced  to  3
    years (current 6 yrs for H-1B and 5/7 for L);

5). New fee is  imposed  on employers who want to employ H-1B applicant
    makeing employers  very difficult to hire aliens.     The fee would
    be 5% first year, 7.5% second year, and 10% last year of stay ( fee 
    = annual compensation including wages, benefits and all other comp-
    ensation);

6). Additional attestations are required before approval of H-1B:
    a. Employers must pay H-1B workers  at least  100%  of  the  actual 
    compensation or 105% of the prevailing wage level;
    b. no displacement of U.S. workers ( or  must pay H-1B  replacement
    workers 105% of the mean of the compensation paid the laid-off   US
    worker);

The bill will take effect on October 1, 1996, if it passes.

Simpson Bill S  1394  has stimulated the vigorous responses in business,
scientific and educational communities immediately.     It has gone even 
much farther  than H.R. 2202   regarding employment-based   immigration.  
Almost all  foreign students studying at graduate  schools,  researchers 
and professionals in institutions and    enterprises    will  be heavily 
affected.     The IFCSS    protested this legislation and has called all 
Chinese students,   scholars   and  professional nationwide  to join the 
campaign to stop this bill, S 1349.

Science, education and high technology businesses who rely  on  talented 
students, graduates and professionals   born   in  foreign countries, to 
maintain a competitive edge have important interests in this legislation. 
The U.S. Congress must learn how important  and  crucial  foreign  human 
resources are to the business  and  ability of the U.S.A. to  compete in 
the international sci-technology and economy, but not be complacent over 
its shortsightedness and lack in vision.

The IFCSS hereby appeals to you,  the  concerned  officials  of  science 
policy, high educational community, and leaders of business and  enterp-
rises to take the following steps to protect the interests:

1). Call and write the Members of Senate  in  Washington D.C.   (202 224 
3121) or   at their District offices while they are at the  Thanksgiving 
recess. The bill  is scheduled to be considered at Senate Judiciary Sub-
committee on November 29th. 

2). Join with other officials of sciences,  educators and business lead-
ers in the coalition with those who  share their concerns  in  order  to 
pool resources and  coordinate efforts to educate the persuade Congress. 
The IFCSS has been involved in several important coalitions on this  and 
related legislations, and has intimate relationship with prestigious law 
firms in Washington D.C., using the resources of its experienced  legis-
lative and immigration law groups.

3). Contact the organizations with similar immigration concerns for fur-
ther information, such as NAFSA : Association of International Educators 
(202 642 4811) and the national Chinese students and scholars' organiza-
tion, the IFCSS (202 347 0017),  who  has  common interest in preventing 
these arbitrary barriers to enrollment of foreign students  and  employ-
ment of foreign researchers and professionals from being erected.

Thanks for your attention.