The “interim” regulations will take effect on Nov. 28 but federal authorities will still accept public comments within a 30-day period.
Saipan Chamber of Commerce president Jim Arenovski said their members are also going through every page of the transitional worker regulations which, among other things, will introduce a new CW visa for guest workers.
“The regulations came out pretty much the way we thought they would,” he said. “We’re actually happy that the fees might be less. For example, it’s just $320 to petition an employee and the same fee if you have the same class of employees. So if we have 11 waitresses, it’s set at just one fee so that’s good to see.”
He said there were also concerns that the federal authorities may pattern its transitional guest worker program here after the U.S. Department of Labor’s classification but it did not happen.
“It will take us a couple of more days to rummage through it,” he added.
As a rule, the employer should file the CW visa application for a guest worker with the USCIS office in California. Processing takes about 60 days.
A CW visa is separately issued by the U.S. embassy or consulate in the foreign worker’s home country and allows him to work here. But it does not entitle its holder to travel anywhere else in the United States, including Guam.
