Just follow and remember this C.W.-C.N.M.I:
1. C – confused Filipino individual seeking non-immigrant or CW status must consult with proper authorities — not relatives, friends, co-workers or peers on how to stay and live here in CNMI. Dont speculate or pay any amount to those BOGUS individual promising that they will give you the right VISA after you made an agreement with them
I suggest all of you to attend a FREE seminar/forum conducted by USCIS within a week or visit their website at http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a?vgnextoid=378603dca1042310VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=68439c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD
2. W- workers must update all your valid documents including your original passport(valid for at least 6 months),umbrella permit, parole in place, SS, CNMI ID or if you are planning to bring your dependents, they need a photocopy of their passport; if you’re married, marriage certificate authenticated by NSO.
Go to our Philippine Consulate Office and seek for advice on how to expedite the processing of your passport and the like. http://www.philippinessaipan.org/philippines-saipan/embassy-saipan/about-the-office-saipan/
3. C – contract workers who have no jobs right now living with their common-law wife/husband with children must THINK and PLAN now on how to take care of their U.S. citizen kids before Nov. 27, 2011. There are lots of Filipinos in this situation. Filipinos value most their family. They’ll endure the travails of an OFW just to ensure a better life for the family. They are living heroes.
I recommend seeking the help of our governor’s/congressman’s office for an advice on how to protect their U.S. citizen children.
4. N – nowhere-to-go individual (no job, no umbrella permit, expired passport) seeking the right status must seek the advice of USCIS using the link: http://infopass.uscis.gov/
Reality check. You must be prepared to leave before Nov. 27, 2011.
5. M – Manila is our last option if we fail to process our status before the Nov. 27 deadline. Don’t gamble your status and follow rumors/hearsay/gossips from a certain individual. This is not a telenovela or movie anymore — its the reality. There are a lots of job opportunities in your respective regions and a lots of useful FREE training/seminar conducted by DTI on how to become an entrepreneur with an initial capital of $200 and below.
For free seminar/training on how to start business:
http://www.dti.gov.ph/splash.php,
6. I – Illegal immigrant is under the control of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security, responsible for identifying, investigating, and dismantling vulnerabilities regarding the nation’s border, economic, transportation, and infrastructure security. And we don’t want to go beyond that situation and be deported to our home country.
I’m recommending to our local leaders here to act on a law like an “amnesty program” and start to register and gather the fingerprints of thousands of undocumented foreign workers from Nov. 27, giving them a chance to work legally in a country that heavily relies on foreign labor.
I know that Filipinos are honest and law-abiding, but this development could also have a severe consequences on them. That is why it is so important that if you are in the U.S. illegally, seek the advice of a reputable attorney who could perhaps advise you of legitimate ways to legalize your status. Or if you are an immigrant who committed certain crimes, it is very important that your criminal case be handled properly, so it does not involve drastic immigration consequences.
But the bottom line is to obey the laws and don’t get arrested, because you may find yourself back in the Philippines “for life.”
REYNALDO S. PEREZ
Concerned Filipino Citizen
working in CNMI
