Starting yesterday, the application fee was raised to $350.
The fee was only $300 last Monday and $275 early this year.
According to a notice to the Division of Labor from Labor Deputy Secretary Cinta Kaipat dated Nov. 10: The increased “fees were published in the Commonwealth Register when the Labor regs were proposed and published…. The fees are effective Nov. 1. [Finance Secretary Eloy Inos] was promised that they would be effective Nov. 1. Please do not hold this up. Publish a reminder if you wish, but do not hold up changing the fees.”
Below the announcement was a reply from Labor’s Robbie Sablan to Kaipat which stated: “When is the effective date of the fee increase (application fee)? I informed Israel not to enforce it yet until we get a response. I feel we should put up a sign and inform the public about it and a small notice on the newspaper as well.”
This reporter was told that Kaipat was “busy” and could not be interviewed.
Irene Tantiado of the United Workers Movement, NMI said she has been receiving calls from workers and employers complaining about the new rates.
Some of the applicants, she said, have to pay twice the new amount because they are getting two-year contracts for each worker.
“Labor should have made a sufficient announcement so as not to confuse the people,” Tantiado said. “This is unacceptable.”
The Fitial administration has been raising various fees in an effort to cope with the government’s worsening financial condition.
