“This is not the first time this situation has occurred and students were allowed to register for the past two semesters pending the arrival of the visas,” 12 students said in a letter to NMC President Sharon Y. Hart.
Five of the students are with the nursing program’s graduating class of 2012, while seven are with the graduating class of 2013.
The students are John Ryan Balboa, Giselle Butalid, Rachelle Alturas, Dul Bahadur Khadka, Edith Villamena, Yue Qiao Mi-Belky, Xianjun Ning, Yixin Zhang, Ernest Guerrero, Mark Espeleta, Bryan James Balboa and Mary Ann Duremdes.
They are waiting for either their green card or F-1 visa while some have a valid CNMI umbrella permit.
As part of the application for the F-1 visa, they said they had to provide proof of enrollment at NMC.
“We do understand that if a visa request is disapproved that student will not be able to continue. However, as active students in good standing, we request your assistance in allowing us to continue our nursing education. We have acted in good faith in trying to maintain a valid status,” the students told Hart.
They also sought the assistance of United Workers Movement president Rabby Syed who is now asking the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to provide “immediate relief” to the students by issuing a parole-in-place or any other immigration status to allow them to finish their studies at NMC.
“This is not a request for immigration status. The students are just requesting to finish their studies,” he said.
Syed noted that the students have immediate relative, or IR, status.
He is hoping that Homeland Security will take immediate action to help the students “because the community will benefit once they contribute their skills to the islands.”
The students said if they are not allowed by NMC to register, they will miss classes.
“For the five of us in this year’s graduating class, we have already devoted three or more years in getting to this point in our field of study,” they said.
If they will not be able to complete their course on time, their graduation may be delayed for an additional year.
“We will also be in violation of the F-1 visa requirement that we attend school,” they said.
The students said the CNMI has a severe shortage of nurses and as graduates of NMC, they plan to work here after graduation.
