1112 



Within this nonimmigrant category, foreign science and engineering 

 students rose from 56,800 in 1967 to 72,100 in 1970. Foreign medical 

 students numbered 2,000 to 2,100 yearly. Again, stress on Asia as a 

 manpower source is evident : More than 50 percent of the science and 

 engineering students and about 40 percent of the medical students 

 come from Asian countries. 



Another significant indicator within the nonimmigrant category is 

 the number of foreign (that is, non-U.S. citizen) recipients of doc- 

 torates in science and engineering from universities in the United 

 States. The number within this category increased 222 percent between 

 1960 rind 1970, from 1,000 to 3,000 yearly. (American citizens receiving 

 simil.ir advanced degrees increased at a lesser magnitude of 182 per- 

 cent, from 5,100 to 14,300.) Over the same period, the numbe^-s of 

 foreign holders of the Ph. D. in science and engineering inter ding 

 to re-nain in the United States for postdoctoral work and study ia- 

 creas id from 50 percent to 59 percent of the annual total of fo 'ci'rn 

 recipients of American doctorates. The increased emphasis on Asia 

 is again reflected in the geographic distribution of the doctorates. 

 Reci ■ )ients from Asia increased from 44 percent to 49 percent of the 

 total. China and India accounted for about 70 percent of this increase. 

 The European recipients, while increasing in numbers, remained at 

 about 12 percent of the total for both years.^** 



What is significant about these statistics in the nonimmigrant cate- 

 gory is that here lies a potential source for brain drain through the 

 international educational route. Substantial numbers in this category 

 adjust their status from alien to immigrant and thus gain permanent 

 residency. In the fiscal year 1965, before the revised immigration law 

 of 1965 took effect, fewer than 600 of the 5,300 immigrant scientists 

 and engin£ers were former nonimmigrant visa holders. In 1966, the 

 change-of-status group accounted for most of the increase in science- 

 engineer immigrants, that is, 1,700 of 1,900. The number of changes- 

 in-status increased even more in succeeding years, totaling 5,500 by 

 1970. In that year, they accounted for 61 percent of the increase in 

 immigrant scientists and engineers over that for 1965. (See Tables 

 9-11.) i«= 



Moreover, persons from the LDCs of Asia are more likely to take 

 advantage of this route. According to the NSF study, the bulk of the 

 change-of-status scientists and engineers in 1969 and 1970, as in pre- 

 vious years, were from Asia. Asians numbered 2,900 in 1969, and in- 

 creased to 4,400 in 1970. In 1969, former nonimmigrants from Europe 

 numbered only 470 and then increased in 1970 to 810. Both regions 

 combined were the source of more than 90 percent of change-of-status 

 scientists and engineers. And for both regions, students were by far 

 the largest of the groups of former nonimmigrants. Asia also accounted 

 for by far the largest proportion of the change-of-status physicians 

 with 80 percent in 1969 and 76 percent in 1970. In addition, substantial 

 percentages of scientists, engineers and physicians from LDCs other 

 than those in Asia adjusted to immigrant status in the fical year 1970. 

 Of a total of 1,107 African scientists and engineers, 189 (or 17.1 per- 

 cent) adjusted their status. Of the 137 cited in the "All others" cate- 



!»♦ Ibid., p. 15. 

 1* Ibid., p. 6. 



