PAGOPAGO (Pacnews) — The American Samoan Senate has amended guest worker permit legislation, restricting their access to the territory.
It said s special entry permits should only go to citizens of Samoa of Samoan ancestry while people from Tonga, Tokelau and other Pacific island countries would not be permitted.
The senators also limited the granting of guest worker permits to employees of the two canneries.
American Samoan’s governor, Togiola Tulafono, has proposed that guest workers could also be employed at calls centers and manufacturing companies.
Another change made by the Senate grants amnesty only to overstayers who work for the canneries but not to those at other companies.