1117 



educational route, since opting for immigrant status is an unmistakable 

 declaration of intention. According to the NSF report, a record 48 

 percent of the immigrant scientists and engineers and 61 percent of the 

 physicians and surgeons were already living in the United States as 

 nonimmigrant "temporary" residents at the time they adjusted to 

 immigrant status in 1972. (See Figure 7.) The nonimmigrant category 

 includes students, by far the largest group for immigrant scientists 

 and engineers; exchange visitors, the most numerous among immi- 

 grant physicians and surgeons ; industrial trainees, conditional entrees, 

 and parolees ; and an "other" group, such as visitors and foreign gov- 

 ernment officials. An indicator of vulnerability to brain drain is the 

 time of residency before opting for immigrant status. Both the non- 

 immigrants and the scientists, engineers, physicians, and surgeons who 

 adjusted to immigrant status in 1972 had a median residency of less 

 than 314 years prior to attainment of immigration status. In 1967, this 

 figure had been close to 51/^ years for both groups. Thus, over the 5- 

 year period the time for final decision had been reduced by 2 years. This 

 reduced time period for decision suggests the progressive lowering of 

 the threshold before taking the final step of expatriation, but the 

 easing of restrictions on adjustment of status in 1970 should prob- 

 ably be taken into account. 



