I WOULD like to highlight a concern regarding the long-term residency permit. Since it has been five years, many permit holders are now renewing their permits or have already applied for renewal this year.
The concern is that the permit states “NOT VALID FOR RE-ENTRY TO THE U.S.” This creates significant problems when traveling, especially from Asian countries, as some airlines give us difficulty when returning to Saipan. They argue that re-entry is not permitted because Saipan is a U.S. territory and the restriction is clearly stated on the permit.
We kindly request the editor if you can highlight this problem to USCIS or in the news.
SHABBIR SHAKIR
Saipan, CNMI
