The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has yet to announce the regulations.
Villagomez said his department has over 200 nonresident workers, about 130 of whom are nurses.
On Sept. 14, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services field office director for Guam Walter Haith met with Public Health officials.
Villagomez said Haith failed to answer some questions because the regulations were still not out.
“At present, because there are no clear guidelines in place, we are not able to hire any nonresident nurses, ancillary healthcare providers and physicians at this time from outside the CNMI,” Villagomez said.
The meeting was attended by the department’s senior managers with nonresident staff under their units.
Weeks before the meeting, he said, they distributed notices for those who couldn’t attend but had questions to submit.
The questions were forwarded to Haith in advance so the USCIS could do some research prior to the meeting.
Villagomez said he attended the meeting with Deputy Secretary for Hospital Administration Esther Muna, Commonwealth Health Center nursing director April Ricotta and Dr. Chad Lowe, a member of the recruitment task force.
Villagomez said his department is looking at other options to ensure a sustainable workforce.
The options include applying for an H1B visa for those who qualify, he added.
He said Public Health will make “definitive decisions” after November 2011.
