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Kilili inspects CW processing center in California
Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (Ind-MP) made a snap inspection of the USCIS California Service Center. The congressman said he wanted everyone to understand the harm caused by delays in the center’s processing of applications for CW foreign workers. And he wanted to see for himself that extra attention was being given to the backlog. (Contributed Photo)
“The CW applications represent only 2 percent of the total workload of the California Service Center,” Sablan said. “But what is of small importance to their overall operation is of huge importance to the people I represent in the Northern Marianas. I wanted to make that point clear by making a personal inspection of the center.”
According to USCIS officials, all application for CW permits that expired on Dec. 31 have been taken out of the regular line and are being processed separately.
“The 800 applications submitted at least 90 days in advance—as recommended—have all been processed, I am told, and I expect the remaining 2,000 applications to be done by mid-January.”
Kathy Baran, director of the California Service Center, and a team of department heads took Sablan through the center’s operational process from mail intake and data entry to the office where adjudications occur.
The congressman explained to Baran and to the adjudication staff that he wanted to impress on them how important CW workers still are to the Northern Marianas economy and how disruptive the delays in processing have been.
Sablan said that, if 90 days is not sufficient lead time for the submission of renewal applications, then better guidelines need to be issued to Northern Marianas businesses.
“We cannot afford to have this kind of a back-up occur again in the future,” Sablan told the USCIS staff. (Office of the Delegate)
