New category eyed for long-term aliens

Saipan lawmakers are expected to pre-file today a bill that will allow long-time foreign workers to stay for five-year periods in the Commonwealth whether they have jobs or not.

The unsigned bill, a copy of which was obtained by the [I]Saipan Tribune[/I] last night, proposes to create a new immigration category of “resident foreign nationals.”

A foreign worker may apply for a resident foreign national entry permit if he or she has lived legally in the CNMI for at least five years and has met character requirements.

A resident foreign national entry permit is valid for five years and may be renewed.

The bill does not offer permanent residency, resident status, citizenship, or nationality to a resident foreign national.

However, people granted this new immigration status would be able to live and work at will in the Northern Marianas in the same manner as a permanent resident. They would receive employment preference over other foreign workers. They may operate a business, be self-employed, and employ other foreign workers.

Immediate family members of resident foreign national may enter and remain in the CNMI for the period of the permit of the resident foreign national.

Resident foreign nationals and any immediate family members admitted to the CNMI under this immigration category are, however, still considered aliens and may still be subjected to deportation.

Representatives Tina Sablan, Heinz Hofschneider, Edward Salas and Victor Hocog will cosponsor the bill.

The sponsors say in the bill that the proposed legislation comes in recognition of “the value of long-term and law abiding non-citizen employees” in the Commonwealth.

They also outline the advantages of allowing long-term foreign workers to remain on the islands. They argue that resident foreign nationals help the economy, as they have a vested interest in the local community and are likely to spend more of their earnings on island, rather than send money out of the Commonwealth.

The prospect of at-will employment will also relieve the administrative, processing and enforcement burdens on the Department of Labor, and stabilize a segment of the labor force that is critical to the CNMI’s economic recovery.

Local business will benefit as they will not be required to pay annual permit and processing fees and await the issuance of entry permits, or comply with extensive regulatory burdens.

Workers will also benefit as they can freely change jobs if their employment arrangements are unsatisfactory.

Further, resident foreign national status will promote a higher wage structure, improved working environments, and increased productivity for both citizen and non-citizen workers in the Commonwealth, the bill’s sponsor say.