[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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