His group has been circulating a petition urging the federal government to waive the green card application fees.
He said they will extend the petition signing deadline to allow all IRs on island to sign it.
The petition signing started on Jan. 16 and was supposed to end on Jan. 19, but the group decided to extend it for a few more days, he said.
During their visit in Kagman, the IRs there were very accommodating and supportive, Syed said.
He said his group brought copies of the petition to the area.
Syed is urging all IRs and guest workers, including those working at the Commonwealth Health Center, to unite in asking for an improved immigration status.
The Department of Public Health had already expressed concern over the plight of its nonresident medical practitioners once the federalization of local immigration system takes effect on June 1.
Public Health Secretary Joseph Kevin Villagomez earlier met with a team from U.S. Homeland Security and discussed the guest workers of CHC.
Syed said his group would ask Congressional Delegate Gregorio C. Sablan, Ind.-MP, to ask the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Department of Homeland and Security to address the concerns of the CNMI’s guest workers.
He said these concerns are crucial to the local economy.
As president of the Saipan City Taxi Association, Syed said they will again ask federal officials to grant the taxi drivers improved immigration status.
The taxi drivers have been doing business for a long time on island and should be included in a “grandfathering clause” to allow them to continue to work in the CNMI.
Taxi drivers have been serving the tourism industry and even the local residents, Syed said.
The inclusion of the “grandfathering provision” in the implementing rules and regulation of the federal immigration law is an option that the U.S. government should consider, Syed added.
Qualified long-term foreign workers should be eligible for a non-immigrant status similar to those enjoyed by citizens of Freely Associated States.
There was such a provision in the original federalization bill, but it was removed due to the objections of local residents and the leaders of Guam.
The provision would have allowed long-term guest workers to work, study, travel and live anywhere in the U.S.
If guest workers are united, Syed said they can address several concerns, including those of the nonresident parents of U.S. citizen children with disabilities, and nonresident parents who have children serving in the U.S. military.
Syed said he is hoping that Homeland Security officials will listen to these parents because they will lose their children’s benefits if they are required to return to their countries.
