year.

workers are sought is the principal determinant.
Coal mining, for example, is a permanent industry
and the occupations associated with it are

permanent. In other industries, employers cross-
train the work force to handle peak demands, or
upgrade the work force to fill in behind highly
skilled workers and temporarily fill in behind
them from among local workers; there are also
peak or cyclical needs in some industries which
can be met only by the temporary employment of
temporary workers.

Viewed together the labor certification and temporary worker programs involve approximately 80,000 aliens each One-half are permanent and the other are temporary. Since about 400,000 individuals enter as immigrants and about 6 million as visitors each year, it is fair to conclude that the worker importation provisions of the current law play a minimal role in the present scheme of immigration policy.

C.

IMMIGRATION POLICIES OF OTHER NATIONS

Few other nations have formalized immigration systems. Some, for example Israel and South Africa, have such specific goals as to be largely irrelevant for our purposes. Those which most nearly approximate the history and policies of

the U.S. are Australia and Canada.

Their approach offers the

basis for some helpful comparative analysis.

Canadian and Australian attitudes towards persons

seeking admission as immigrants are substantially different from our own. Both countries take an active interest in recruiting, assessing and assisting prospective immigrants.

Both maintain substantial numbers of officers with wide

discretionary powers in foreign countries for the purpose of interviewing. The personal quality of the prospective immigrant weighs heavily in the final assessment.

Qualita

tive selection criteria for immigration in both Canada and
Australia are so broadly stated as to demand expansion and
development through administrative processes. Although the
grounds for exclusion are to protect the security and economic
well-being of the importing country and the health and welfare
of its people, in practice both of these countries have left
to the administrators the power and authority to tailor the
qualitative selection procedures to best suit their changing
national needs.

Our own system of accepting immigrants inclines to
If the alien has no

be almost mechanistic by comparison.
criminal or subversive record, meets the labor certification
requirement, will not become a public charge, and is not
within any other excludable class, an immigrant visa will
normally be issued. How well an applicant may personally
fit into life in the United States does not concern us,
nor does his attitude towards migration, or his ability to
speak English. If the alien meets all the visa requirements,
it is irrelevant whether adequate housing and medical
facilities will be available in the city to which he is

migrating, whether his children will have adequate schooling,

and whether he intends to learn English. No consideration
is given to a host of other indicators that point to the
ultimate adaptation, integration and happiness of the
intending immigrant. In contrast, Australia and Canada
are very much concerned with such matters.

Canada

Prevailing numerical limitations in Canada in any given year are determined by the Department of Manpower and Immigration. Since 1967 Canada has had a system of

assignment of a variable number of units in certain

qualifying categories with a maximum of one hundred units.

A

The alien must earn at least 50 units if he is an independent applicant, unrelated to a Canadian citizen or resident. sponsored dependent is not subject to the unit scheme if he comes by virtue of relationship to a spouse or other close family member and immigrates solely on the basis of such relationship. Prospective immigrants having other

relatives in Canada are rated partially on the unit assessment

scale and also receive credits for the relationship.

There are several aspects of the Canadian system that
Qualifications considered are not only

are of interest.

the demand for the prospective immigrant's occupation, but also his level of skill, whether he has pre-arranged employment

or an occupation in which there are unfillable shortages so

that a job opportunity is assured. Twenty points are

awarded for education and training, 15 for personal

qualities and 10 for age.

Under one policy, a prospective immigrant with

five years of education and training is on a par with one with fifteen years. Unlike the Canadians, the United States makes no distinction as to whether the intending immigrant is between the ages of 18 and 35 or between the ages of 36 and 44. The Canadian system gives as much as 10 points for a knowledge of English or French. Our policy is not concerned with knowledge of English except insofar as it might be essential in the job for which the alien has a labor certification.

Canada awards five additional units depending upon the area of destination. This is undoubtedly related to the fact that approximately half of all immigrants coming to Canada are destined for the Province of Ontario and one half of those settle in the City of Toronto. Canada feels a desperate need to develop large unpopulated areas. Therefore an immigrant who is willing to settle in remote areas is accorded appropriate recognition.

Australia

The Minister of Immigration in Australia controls the number of aliens admitted annually. Applicants are designated through the Australian Selection Assessment System. To be approved the applicant must establish that he will be economically viable in Australia, that he is medically fit and has a satisfactory character record

and personal qualities that will fit into the Australian community, and that he has a sincere intention of making a permanent home in Australia and of becoming a citizen. Interviewing officers make firm selection recommendations after considering the size and composition of the applicant's family, the presence of relatives (if any) in Australia

and the extent and degree of support and assistance likely to be required from the government after arrival. The latter is not unlike our statutory grounds of ineligibility (section 212 (a) (15)) which applies when the consular officer has reason to believe that the applicant is likely at any time to become a public charge. The alien's attitude towards migration, expectations in Australia, responsiveness, initiative, self-reliance, independence, appearance, personal hygiene, speech and behavior as well as his family unity all are relevant to the assessment.

Unlike Canada, Australia has no fixed score on the overall assessment that will insure approval. It is understood that selection for immigration is founded strictly on the economic conditions and labor market needs of Australia and the whole selection process is geared to deny the immigration of all but those persons who will most benefit the country.

Exempt from the assessment procedure for humanitarian reasons are the spouses, dependent children and aged or