CW holders lament slow pace of renewals

CW-1 permit holders with pending renewals would like U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service to help them understand why it is taking too long to adjudicate their renewal permits.

A number are also pleading for USCIS to speed up the process as the Dec. 31, 2015, deadline for most CW-1 permits loom. A handful of CW permit holders have admitted that they’ve continued to work despite their CW-1 permits having already expired.

A 48-year-old department manager of a hotel said USCIS should just do away with the policy of having CW-1 permit holders stop from working once the permits expire.

If that isn’t possible, he said, USCIS should allow companies to exempt from this requirement certain key positions that are essential in continuing the operations of the company.

Agreeing to speak on condition of anonymity, he said a number of companies have been allowing CW workers to report for work despite having expired permits, arguing that they submitted the petitions on time and it’s not the company’s fault that the permits haven’t been adjudicated yet.

A 45-year-old salesman from Garapan, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, wants to know why USCIS is taking a long time to process his CW-1 renewal when his company submitted his application six months before its expiration—as required by USCIS itself.

He said renewals should be prioritized first before new applicants, such as the rumored hundreds that new investors have submitted to USCIS.

A 36-year-old mother of five from As Lito who works two jobs hopes USCIS adjudicates her permit as soon as possible so she could transfer to a new and better job. She said she continues to work despite not having her CW-1 permit renewed yet because she already got a receipt from USCIS.

A 42-year-old wait staff supervisor of a hotel said he’s been in limbo since early November when his company made him stop from reporting to work because his CW-1 permit had expired.

“I’ve been out of work for two months already,” he said.

Luckily for him, his wife continues to work, which cannot be said for other CW-1 permit holders who are one-income families still waiting for their permits to be released.

Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (Ind-MP) told Saipan Tribune that the proposal for a 240-day grace period for CW-1 permit holders awaiting adjudication of their permits is still with the Department of Homeland Security, adding that his hands are pretty much tied when it comes to giving advice to CW-1 permit holders still awaiting adjudication.

“The proposed regulation hasn’t been approved. And the congressional office does not provide advice, particularly when it involves adjudications of permits. We provide assistance to those who come to the congressional office seeking help. But the congressional office is careful, and limited in what it can do, in assisting petitions undergoing adjudication.”

Sablan also reminded employers to process their CW-1 permit holders in a timely manner to avoid delays.

“We do suggest that employers submit petitions as early as 180 days before expiration of permits and that they respond to requests for evidence immediately upon receipt of a request from USCIS.”

He said employers, not employees, are responsible for permit petitions. “We have seen on many occasion that employers submit petitions close to expiration dates (less than 90 days), or requests for evidence are not immediately addressed, and then employers tell employees that USCIS is to blame for the delay,” said Sablan.