25 Sep 2002

American Samoa plans change to permanent residency criteria

10:41 am on 25 September 2002

The American Samoa government is trying to push through a bill seeking to change the criteria for granting permanent residency to immigrants in the territory.

Governor Tauese Sunia is introducing a bill that would transfer the authority to grant residency from the Immigration board to the attorney general.

Other changes include granting people permanent residency if they have been in the country for 10 years instead of the current period of 20 years and have parents or partners who are US citizens or American Samoans.

Governor Tauese is also proposing that 300 pending applications for permanent residency, mainly from citizens of independent Samoa, be exempt from the territory's annual quota.