The changes were made ahead of the anticipated implementation of U.S. P.L. 110-229, or the federalization law.
Commerce Secretary Michael Ada met yesterday afternoon with representatives of different public and private educational institutions to explain the new rules.
Ada said the new rules were patterned after those of Hawaii, California and Guam which also host foreign students.
He said it was agreed that foreign students with valid permits will be “grandfathered” to ensure a smooth transition to the new federally administered immigration system.
Ada designated Maggie Camacho as the lead contact person for the educational institutions when applying for their certification.
An educational institution means any academic or vocational school, elementary and secondary schools, language schools, religious schools, sports schools and professional training programs, including Northern Marianas College.
An undetermined number of foreign students are enrolled at different public and private educational institutions.
Under the new rules, before any school can admit a foreign student, the institution must first be licensed by the secretary of commerce.
Payments for the student permit will also be coursed through the Commerce Department which in turn will process it with the Division of Immigration.
An educational institution applying for a commerce department license must submit certain documents, including a certification of accreditation by accrediting authorities outside of the commonwealth.
They must also submit information about their curriculum and facilities as well as their latest financial statement made by a U.S. certified public accountant.
A foreign student education oversight panel will then review the educational institution’s application and will make recommendations to the commerce secretary if a certification should be issued.
