He said the numbers of foreign workers from the Bureau of Immigration and Division of Labor do not reconcile so they have yet to verify the numbers before they could come up with the exact statistics.
He said that a rough estimate from the Bureau of Immigration listed 8,500 foreigners in Palau. He said that these are the numbers who are paying taxes.
The Bureau of Immigration categorizes the list from workers, dependents, missionaries and investors. The Division of the Labor statistics showed there are 5, 432 foreign workers.
He said once they have the exact number they will present it to the President for review.
He said all the number exceeding 6,000 quota can be requested to the Office of the President.
He said only the president can decide on the exemption.
He said it’s up to the president to review it and determine if there is a need to adjust the number.
He added those workers who are currently holding a permit will not be affected by the new law unless their permit will not be renewed anymore.
