Grey eyes $1.1M in annual govt revenues

The Division of Immigration has started collecting past-due registration fees from those with immediate relatives status, while planning to implement other regulations to generate $1.1 million in yearly revenues.

Immigration Director Melvin Grey, in his report to the Attorney General, said they began collecting past-due registration fees from those with IR status to collect $50,000 in revenues a year.

Grey also recommended amending the regulations governing fees in order to collect a $25 fee for the issuance of re-entry letters, which is projected to earn the division $180,000 per year.

The director also said that correcting the Immigration fees that have erroneously been under-charged for several years would result in $1.08 million in annual revenues.

Grey, in a telephone interview with the Saipan Tribune yesterday, said that beginning last week they have been collecting the $100 past-due registration renewal fees from IRs.

In his report, he said IRs and others are now being required to pay for registration fees that they had failed to pay for in the past.

“These fees must now be paid before current registration is processed. If the past-due fees are not collected within 10 working days of notification then the Immigration Investigations Unit is directed to pursue court action for recovery of funds and deportation,” the director said.

With respect to amending regulations regarding fees, Grey said the past practice has been to provide these re-entry letters without a fee being charged to aliens who are departing the CNMI while their entry permits are being renewed or under other circumstances.

On the under-charging issue, Grey pointed out that Immigration registration fees have erroneously been under-charged for several years in the amount of $75 per each initial and renewal application.

The director said the law provides that the Immigration registration fees should be $100, but the previous administrations reduced the payment to $25.

“The payment was reduced, but there was no law. It was just done by command,” he said, adding that the government should recognize what the law requires.

Grey said the implementation to make the correction is up to the administration and the Attorney General’s Office.