BREAKING NEWS: USDOL says CW-1 not eligible for PUA

Posted on Aug 08 2020

The U.S. Department of Labor is standing firm that the CNMI’s foreign workforce, called CW-1 workers, are not eligible for federal Public Unemployment Assistance, or PUA.

According to Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan’s e-newsletter, e-kilili, that was issued today, the U.S. Labor Department maintains that PUA is a “federal public benefit” as defined in 8 U.S.C. § 1611(c). It argues that since CW-1 workers are not considered “qualified aliens” under 8 U.S.C. § 1641, they would therefore not qualify for PUA.

“This is a bad decision. It creates a hardship for the unemployed workers; and it means the loss of millions of dollars to the Marianas economy and lost government tax revenues,” said Sablan in the newsletter.

More details later.

Saipan Tribune

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