[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 247 (Wednesday, December 24, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67431-67432]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-33499]
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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY
Exchange Visitor Program; Skills List
AGENCY: United States Information Agency.
ACTION: Amendment to delete the Czech Republic from the Exchange
Visitor Skills List. Retroactive release from Skills List obligation
for all countries without skills lists.
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SUMMARY: The Exchange Visitor Skills List is amended by deleting the
fields of specialization for the Czech Republic at the request of the
Government of the Czech Republic. Also, in the case of all governments
which have requested removal from the skills list, their citizens are
retroactively no longer required, on the basis of the skills list, to
comply with the two-year home residence requirement of 212(e) of the
Immigration and Nationality Act.
DATES: This amendment shall become effective upon publication in the
Federal Register.
ADDRESSES: Comments and requests for further information should be
addressed to: Patricia B. Gribben, Chief, Waiver Review Branch,
Exchange Visitor Program Services, USIA, 301 Fourth Street, SW, Suite
700, Washington, DC 20547, telephone (202) 401-9800.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to the provisions of section 212(e)
of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended (8 U.S.C. 1182(E),
The Secretary of State designated on April 25, 1972, a list of fields
of specialized knowledge or skill (referred to as the Exchange Visitor
Skills List) and those countries which clearly required the services of
persons engaged in one or more of such fields. Any alien who was a
national or resident of one of those countries and obtained an exchange
visitor visa and/or became a participant in an Exchange Visitor Program
involving a designated field of specialized knowledge or skill after
the effective date of that notice was subject to the two-year home
country physical presence requirement of section 212(e) of the
Immigration and Nationality Act and 22 CFR 41.65(b).
Pursuant to the provisions of Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1977,
section 217 of the United States Information Agency Authorization Act
of August 24, 1982 (Pub. L. 97-241) and Executive Order Nos. 12048
(March 27, 1978) and 12388 (October 14, 1982) the Director, United
States Information Agency, on June 12, 1984 further amended the 1972
Exchange Visitor Skills list, as revised in 1978, to increase the
designated fields of specialized knowledge of skills. The 1984
amendment gave notice of the addition of China and the deletion of
Cambodia, Iran and Viet-Nam from the skills list as well as the
indefinite suspension of Afghanistan. In September, 1986 an amendment
reflected the deletion of South Africa, addition of Iraq and changes in
Group 4 for the People's Republic of China. It also clarifies that the
skills list for the People's Republic of China is not applicable to
exchange visitors from Taiwan. A February 1987 amendment gave notice of
the indefinite suspension of Libya and the addition of two fields to
Group (1) of the skills list for the People's Republic of China.
Amendments in March and April, 1987, contained date corrections. An
amendment in December, 1988 added additional fields to the skills list
for the
[[Page 67432]]
People's Republic of China and in July, 1993 an amendment removed Spain
from the skills list.
A comprehensive revised Skills List was published in the Federal
Register on January 16, 1997. This list became effective March 17,
1997.
This notice amends FR Vol. 62, Doc. 97-677, January 16, 1997.
Accordingly, the Exchange Visitor Skills List, is further amended
by deleting the Czech Republic from said list. It also provides
retroactive release from the skills list obligation for citizens of
countries which are not listed on the Exchange Visitor Skills List.
Dated: December 18, 1997.
Les Jin,
General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 97-33499 Filed 12-23-97; 8:45 am]
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