Speaking on behalf of the IRs, Rabby Syed, United Workers Movement, NMI acting president, said IRs have to apply for permanent residency but they can’t afford to pay the fees.
Syed said they don’t have enough money to process for the green card because they have to include their children.
The typical cost for an application for an adult or child over 14 year-old is $1,365 excluding other fees, he added.
“We are hoping the federal government will waive the application fees for the immediate relatives who are eligible to apply for a green card,” Syed said.
A “green card” allows an individual to live and work in the United States as well as apply for U.S. citizenship.
The federalization law, U.S. P.L. 110-229, doesn’t recognized immediate relative status.
Two years after the implementation of the law, Syed said they will “face deportation if they do not have a job in the CNMI.”
Syed also asked the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to allow IRs to continue their employment and businesses under the federalization law.
Syed, who heads the Saipan City Taxi Association, said all members of his group are IRs and have been working on island for 10 years or so.
Most of the IRs said they never applied for a green card because they either did not see any need to do so, or the minimum income requirements were out of their reach.
Some IRs were also not sure if the U.S. government would approve their applications.
