The forum was organized by the Coalition of United Workers (NMI) leaders at the Saipan Community Church and was attended by at least 500 guest workers.
Guam-based businessman and coalition officer Alfredo Antolin said it is just appropriate that nonresident workers prepare themselves so they can present all necessary documents if the federal government requires it.
The coalition, he said, can help process birth certificates, marriage certificates and other documents with the National Statistics Office in the Philippines.
Antolin said their group now has a link with the Philippine Consulate General Office for the processing of these certificate.
For a “very minimal fee,” the coalition also can provide legal services to guest workers during the application process, Antolin told Variety. “We will charge the lowest fee,” he added.
But Federal Labor Ombudsman James J. Benedetto, one of the guest speakers, said the implementing rules and regulations of the federalization law, or U.S. P.L. 110-229, are yet to be drafted.
Nobody knows what programs, if any, can benefit the guest workers, he added.
Antolin said that while it is not certain what kind of visa the CNMI guest workers can get under the federal system, “for sure it’s a U.S. visa.”
Guest workers can acquire H-2B, H-1B or transition visas while in the CNMI, Antolin said.
The H-2B work visa is mainly for non-agricultural jobs while an H visa is temporary worker’s visa for specialty occupation — it is job and site specific.
An H-1B is a non-immigrant visa that allows U.S. employers to employ foreign guest workers skilled in specialty occupations only when qualified U.S. citizens or residents are not available.
Irene Tantiado, Coalition of Guest Workers (NMI) president, said the forum also discussed labor problems and the immigration status of long-term guest workers.
“The forum was very successful and some issues were clarified,” she said.
The next scheduled forum on July 18 is intended for the Bangladeshi, Nepalese, Indian guest workers. The venue will be announced later.
A separate forum for Chinese and Koreans will also be arranged.
During the forum, Philippine Overseas Labor Office Representative Joan Lourdes D. Lavilla talked about how to handle labor conflicts.
Lavilla also discussed employment opportunities in other countries.
Philippine Consul General Wilfredo DL. Maximo encouraged Filipino guest workers, particularly those with expired passports, to avail of the new machine readable passport.
