THE Department of Labor and Immigration may issue multiple authorizations to board to tourists, especially the business people from the countries on the restricted entry list.
In an interview yesterday, DOLI Secretary Joaquin A. Tenorio said there had been some changes in labor and immigration regulations in efforts to honor the federal government’s restrictions.
For instance, a tourist from the Philippines, which is on the restricted list, would still be required to obtain a visitor’s permit.
But unlike the previous four-week ATB processing, a visitor’s permit could be issued in one day.
“We’re developing a system to make sure that they get it as soon as possible. Before, it took ages to process,” Tenorio said in an interview.
A tourist with a U.S. visa will not be required to get such permit from the department.
“We will honor the U.S. visa here,” he said.
Earlier, the department decided to allow tourists from countries that have consulates in the commonwealth to enter the CNMI without an ATB or a visitor’s permit.
Tenorio admitted the earlier plan had to be shelved due to security concerns.
“We still have to honor the ban, but we guarantee that it’s going to be less strenuous now,” he said.
He said the department would also pursue joint cooperation with airlines so that tourists coming to CNMI could get their ATBs or visitors’ permits from the airline companies.
Tenorio said his department supports the proposal to grant certain tourists with multiple ATB.
Tenorio and other DOLI officials met with officials from the Philippine Consulate General yesterday to discuss these changes. “We all agreed to cooperate and work together,” Tenorio said.
After Sept. 11, 2001, CNMI government banned citizens from 67 nations from entering the islands without proper travel documentation such as ATB.
This ban affected mostly countries from the Middle East as well as some Asian nations including the Philippines, Thailand and China.
