“This means they are allowed to stay here with a conditional umbrella permit even if they are listed as overstayers by the CNMI Department of Labor,” he said.
Syed said the ruling should assure employers that they can hire nonresidents with umbrella permits.
The court ruling, he added, cited the federalization law, or the Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008, which states that “no alien who is lawfully present in the Commonwealth pursuant to the immigration laws of the Commonwealth on the transition program effective date shall be removed from the United States on the grounds that such alien’s presence in the Commonwealth is in violation of section 212(a)(6)(A) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.”
Based on this ruling, Syed said, “we’re still hoping to get improved status.”
