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IPI now looking at repatriating Mongolian workers
Imperial Pacific International (CNMI), LLC will soon be able to repatriate their Mongolian construction workers, depending on the status of their CNMI-Only Transitional Worker visas.
In the seventh status report to the U.S. District Court for the NMI, IPI counsel Michael W. Dotts said that IPI learned that it will soon be possible to send their Mongolian construction workers home. However, these workers, who entered the CNMI on H2-B visas, have applied to convert their visa status to CW-1, but Dotts said that this wasn’t guaranteed and that they are still awaiting approval from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
It was learned that there still are a total of 106 Mongolians working for the exclusive casino licensee.
IPI should know the status of the Mongolian wiorkers’ CW visa applications by the end of this week or early next week, according to Dotts. Should the visas be denied, Dotts said that IPI will then work on sending them home.
As for the construction work at the Imperial Pacific Resort in Garapan, that remains suspended.
Michael W. Dotts
According to Saipan Tribune archives, IPI has already repatriated four Thai construction workers. Other workers, however, have refused to leave the island until they are paid their back wages, while others are looking at changing their immigration status and travel restrictions in some places have yet to be lifted.
Of the six Malaysians remaining, one has applied to renew his CW visa status with IPI, and the other five do not want to depart until they are fully paid, Dotts said.
As for the Taiwanese workers, 11 have applied to change their status from H-2B to CW with a different employer.
The 11 Turkish employees who decided not to depart last week still remain on island, and two of the group’s members strongly refused repatriation.
