24 Nov 2011

Parole offer eases CNMI residency problems

2:04 pm on 24 November 2011

The U.S. government will grant parole on a case-by-case basis to those covered by a bill proposing that some groups of foreign workers in the Northern Marianas continue to get residency status when law changes come into play later this month.

The 'CNMI-only' residency status for four specific groups of non-resident workers in the territory has been proposed by the CNMI's delegate to the US Congress, Kilili Sablan.

Mr Sablan says he has been informed that persons covered by his bill will be able to remain legally in the Northern Marianas until December 2012, giving Congress additional time to act on the legislation.

The decision covers persons born in the Northern Marianas between 1974 and 1978, those with permanent residency, the immediate relatives of these two groups and the immediate relatives of U.S. citizens.