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INS: Chinese without US visa can’t transit in Guam
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Posted on Jan 22 2001
The Marianas Visitors Authority may just have to say goodbye to the CNMI’s plan to entice visitors from the People’s Republic of China.
This, as the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service declared that PROC nationals who do not have US visa will not be allowed to transit in any U.S. port starting Feb. 5, 2001.
Continental Micronesia was already informed of the directive since its Hong Kong-Saipan flight carries PROC nationals for Saipan via Guam. Aside from PROC, 23 other countries are covered by the U.S. INS directive banning their nationals from transiting any U.S. port unless they possess a U.S. visa.
Tinian Dynasty Hotel general manager Tom Liu said this new directive will have a serious effect on their market since they have a regular group of PROC nationals who come to the casino-hotel for a visit.
“We have been getting a good number of visitors from mainland China as Continental Airlines flies from Hong Kong to Saipan via Guam. But with this new rule, we may just have to say goodbye to this market,” said Mr. Liu.
But MVA Board Chair Dave M. Sablan said the CNMI is not really getting a huge number of visitors from mainland China thus, the directive will hardly affect the island’s tourism economy.
Visitors from mainland China are only issued an authorization to board (ATB) by CNMI immigration officials.
The new directive would now limit the port of entry for Chinese nationals in coming to the CNMI. They may have to take the Seoul-Saipan flight or Tokyo-Saipan flight.
MVA has accredited four biggest travel agents from Guangzhou, China to submit ATB requests which immigration officials here will immediately process. Representatives of the four travel agents even came here for a visit after MVA officials met with them in Hong Kong last year.
“The only solution there now is to get charter flights from Chinese mainland to Saipan so that they don’t have to go through Guam immigration,” Mr. Sablan said. (Lindablue F. Romero)
