TINIAN businesses are still struggling with problems regarding their Transitional CNMI-Only Worker visa applications, according to Tinian Chamber of Commerce Secretary Neal B. Eisgrou.
In an email on Friday, Eisgrou said Tinian businesses are complaining about the “long wait time” at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to process CW-1 applications.
In his own case as an employer, Eisgrou said he is in the process of hiring three CWs from the Philippines. Eisgrou owns JC Café.
He said after securing two U.S. Department of Labor forms, it takes seven months, or longer, to process the form and get approval.
“It now appears that there is not enough time to get the visa from the U.S. Embassy in Manila and go to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration. I tried to get the U.S. Embassy in Manila to give us an earlier appointment, but my request was denied,” he added.
Eisgrou said even if the CWs arrive in the CNMI on Sept. 30, they have to leave again next year.
“Is USCIS even going to refund our money? I also have another CW application I am processing, and I’ve been waiting for eight months so far. We received one request for evidence [or RFE] in January and now another in August. Does it really take that long to process one I-129 CW? USCIS notifies us electronically, but the RFE comes through the regular mail wasting more time,” he said.
Eisgrou added that “it seems the businesses in the CNMI have been forgotten, especially Tinian and Rota. The only bright spot is that [the Philippine] Division of Migrant Worker is going to expedite our paperwork. Our own country refuses to help us and another country comes to our rescue.”
He added, “USCIS does everything in their power to slow our businesses down. They do not care if we stay dependent on welfare and have a subsistence life. We are grateful for the handouts we get from the states, but we need to grow our businesses, not reduce them. The U.S. has the best economy in the world because of its companies, its technology and a government that stayed out of their way enough to allow them to prosper. That is what is going to help our economy, the businesses, not feel-good things like raising wages in an economy that is receding. The minimum wage has more than doubled. Feel any richer? Now the tourists have to pay more. It only helps people that spend their money off island.”
Eisgrou said “our workforce is in the hands of USCIS which lets in two million illegal workers a year and tries to get rid of workers that have been here legally for 30 or even 40 years.”
“We are not going to attract new businesses and expand existing businesses without a sufficient supply of workers,” Eisgrou added.
He said the CNMI can continue to “slog along with the present system and keep losing talented young citizens or take a chance on the pilot program proposed by Tinian Chamber of Commerce Initiative 22-5, which would allow the CNMI to take over the CW program and at the very least keep the [fees] here.”
According to the USCIS website, the base filing fee for a CW-1 petition is $460.
“Additionally, employers filing CW-1 petitions must submit a $200 CNMI Education Funding Fee per beneficiary per year; and $50 Fraud Prevention and Detection fee with each petition.”
In addition, a biometric service fee of $85 per beneficiary is required if the beneficiary is present in the CNMI when filing for an initial grant of CW-1 status.
