the visa waiver program and explained why the request was denied.
“Nationals from those countries cannot, at this time, seek admission under the Guam-CNMI VisaWaiver Program due to security concerns,” DHS stated.
Grave concerns
Gov. Benigno R. Fitial, Speaker Arnold I. Palacios, R-Saipan, and Senate President Pete P. Reyes, R-Saipan, in a joint statement issued late yesterday afternoon, said they are “still awaiting official government-to-government notification. It is our understanding that what appeared on the federal www.regulations.gov Web site today is an abstract and not the final regulation. However, if this is an insight into the regulation, we have reason to be gravely concerned.”
They added that unless China and Russia are included in the visa waiver program for the Marianas, the islands’ economy will be further damaged.
“Chinese and Russian tourists are of crucial importance to the islands’ economy. The current impact on the CNMI economy of these two markets is nearly $200 million annually — not the $6 million economic impact that was indicated in the Web site by Customs and Border Protection which was grossly understated,” they said.
New rules
The new regulations supersede Guam’s visa waiver program, which included 37 countries and territories, including Hong Kong, Indonesia, Nauru, Solomon Islands, Taiwan, Vanuatu and Samoa.
The new rules will invalidate the CNMI’s waiver program which allows Chinese and Russian tourists to visit the islands if they secure a visitor entry permit from the local Division of Immigration.
The U.S. Visa Waiver Program includes the following countries — Andorra, Hungary, New Zealand, Australia, Iceland, Norway, Austria, Ireland, Portugal, Belgium, Italy, Brunei, Japan, San Marino, Singapore, Denmark, Liechtenstein, Finland Luxembourg, Spain, France, Monaco, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
On Oct. 17, President Bush included the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, South Korea and the Slovak Republic to the list.
Citizens of nations not on the list must apply for visas in the U.S. consulate or embassy located in their home countries to be able to visit Guam or the CNMI.
U.S. Customs & Border Protection anticipates that the new rules will cost the CNMI $6 million a year.
“These are losses associated with the reduced visits from foreign travelers who may no longer visit the CNMI upon implementation of this rule. The anticipated benefits of the rule are enhanced security that will result from the federalization of the immigration functions in the CNMI,” it added.
The CNMI is the only U.S. jurisdiction that China separately granted an approved destination status.
This allows Chinese citizens to visit the islands.
The CNMI considers China as an “emerging” tourism market.
