OVER 100 Imperial Pacific International casino workers on Friday received a 30-day separation notice from IPI Chief Executive Officer Ray N. Yumul who also informed them that IPI does not expect U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to take action on the extension request that the company has filed on their behalf.
The casino employees who include pit supervisors, dealers and cage cashiers attended a House Gaming Committee meeting at 2 p.m. Tuesday. Most of them are from the Philippines, some are from Vietnam while others are from Malaysia.
In his separate letters to each of the casino employees, Yumul informed them that IPI filed a petition with USCIS on Sept. 30, 2020, for the renewal of their CNMI-Only Transitional Worker visas or CW-1.
But to date, the CEO told the employees, “IPI has not received any updates on the status of the petitions.”
The USCIS rules in filing for the extension of CW-1 state that “if an employer files an extension petition meeting these requirements, the CW-1 worker may continue employment with the same employer for up to 240 days beginning on the expiration of the authorized period of stay pending adjudication of the petition.”
Yumul told the employees that the 30-day notice is to inform them that the 240-day period is set to expire on May 30, 2021.
In his notice to a pit supervisor, the CEO said, “We anticipate that USCIS will not take action on the extension petition filed on your behalf prior to the scheduled expiration date. Therefore it is with a heavy heart that I must inform you that your employment with the Imperial Pacific International (CNMI), LLC in the position of pit supervisor will end on May 30, 2021.”
Yumul said prior to May 30, IPI will contact the employees to provide them information about their airline tickets and payroll. He informed each employee that any company property in their possession must be delivered to the IPI human resource office before May 30.
Yumul also asked them to provide IPI with their contact information so that the company will be able to provide information they may need in the future, such as their W-2 form.
“We remind you that, notwithstanding the end of your employment with Imperial Pacific International (CNMI), LLC, certain obligations under your contract of employment continue after your separation from the company. These obligations include but may not be limited to, obligations of confidentiality and obligations relating to any proprietary information to which you may have been privy while employed by the company.”
Variety was told that eight of these employees received an approval from USCIS, but the federal agency later revoked it.
Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, the IPI casino has remained closed.
