Our generous welfare system is attracting increasing numbers of the elderly from other countries who wish to retire on its benefits.

• In 1994, nearly 738,000 noncitizen residents were receiving aid from the Supplemental Security Income program.

• This represented a gigantic 580 percent increase -- up from 127,900 in just 12 years.

• The overwhelming majority of noncitizen SSI recipients are elderly and most apply for welfare within five years of arriving in the U.S.

An analysis by Norman Matloff of the University of California at Davis reveals:

• That 45 percent of elderly immigrants in California received cash welfare in 1990.

• Among Russian immigrants the figure was 66 percent, and among Chinese, 5 percent.

• If current trends continue, the U.S. will have more than three million noncitizens on SSI within 10 years.

• Without reform, costs for SSI and Medicaid for elderly noncitizen immigrants will amount to more than $328 billion over the next decade -- $67 billion for the year 2004 alone.

Dramatic changes in the current welfare system and immigration policy have been proposed to reduce the influx of elderly welfare recipients. Measures suggested include restricting welfare eligibility to citizens and allowing the elderly to enter only as permanent "guests" of their U.S. sponsors.