SPECIAL EDITION: WORLD on the MOVE : UPDATE ON MIGRATION

Economic migration is climbing to the top of political and social agendas in many First World countries. Some developments:

* IN THE UNITED STATES: U.S. quotas for legal immigration will be raised today, when the Immigration Act of 1990 goes into effect. Under the legislation, more immigrants will qualify for permanent residency by virtue of their professional skills, rather than family ties. It marks a significant shift in U.S. immigration law by looking to migrants to infuse academic or entrepreneurial talents into the nation.

* AT THE UNITED NATIONS: It took 10 years for the United Nations to hammer out a covenant extending fundamental human rights to migrant workers. But the effort is far from over. Twenty nations must ratify the convention, approved by the General Assembly on Dec. 18, 1990. To date, only Mexico has signed on, and obtaining approval from 19 more nations is expected to be difficult. The convention would protect migrant workers, both documented and undocumented, from exploitation; grant them equality with nationals in various political, economic and social areas, and recognize them as social beings, with the right to family reunification.

* AT THE VATICAN: The Vatican is hosting a forum for migrant concerns at “Solidarity in Favor of New Migrations,” a six-day conference that opened Monday. World leaders attending including European Community President Jacques Delors, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Sadako Ogata and Boston’s Cardinal Bernard Francis Law, president of the Episcopal Commission for Migrants. The agenda includes a briefing by Law on what Americans are doing on behalf of migrants to the United States.