Castro: CNMI workforce at 'very crucial moment'

SAIPAN – The CNMI workforce is now "at a very crucial moment," said House Federal and Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Luis John Castro.

He and other committee members met with Northern Marianas Business Alliance Corp. President Alex Sablan on Tuesday to discuss the concerns of employers bracing for the looming exodus of workers on CW-1 permits that will expire in September.

The CW-1 visa classification allows employers in the CNMI to apply for permission to employ foreign workers, who are otherwise ineligible to work under other nonimmigrant worker categories, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The ongoing prevailing wage survey by the Department of Commerce, in conjunction with the Saipan Chamber of Commerce through Hive Analytics and DataTalks, is projected to be completed next month. Only then can employers apply for temporary labor certifications from the U.S. Department of Labor, which is a requirement before they can submit petitions for CW-1 permits.

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