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‘Expedited processing fee worth it’
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Posted on Aug 16 2004
The Division of Immigration yesterday assured employers that the extra $150 that they have to pay for expedited processing of their workers permits would be worth it, as far as the division is concerned.
Acting Immigration director Antonio Sablan said his staff is now taking only two days to process work permit applications upon receiving them from the Department of Labor.
Under the new alien labor rules and regulations, employers may pay $150 to have their applications processed promptly. The Labor Department said expedited processing should take only two days if an application is complete or a maximum of two weeks if an application is not in compliance with all requirements.
Employers expressed concern that there would be no point in paying Labor the expedited fee if applications would speed through the department and then get stuck at Immigration.
But in an interview yesterday, Sablan expressed confidence that the division could process applications in a timely manner.
“Our current turnaround time is about two days upon receipt of an application from Labor. So two-day processing is normal for us. Unless there is something that prevents us from processing an application, we intend to proceed and accommodate applications [for which employers pay an expedited fee],” Sablan said.
He added that the fee should cover the additional cost of expedited processing not only at Labor, but also at Immigration.
“We’re working under one government. So any fee paid to Labor benefits the rest of the system,” Sablan said.
