Labor hikes alien processing fee

The Department of Labor sprung a surprise on businesses yesterday afternoon, increasing the application processing fee for alien workers and causing confusion and drawing complaints from some businesses and their representatives, who said they were not informed of the price hike beforehand.

A voucher form showed to Saipan Tribune by a business representative yesterday afternoon indicated that the renewal of an alien employee now costs employers a total of $350—a $75 increase over the previous $275.

The increase is in the alien fee, which is now $300 from the previous $225. The $25 immigration fee and $25 entry fee remain the same.

Bobbie Sablan, the Labor Administrative Services Manager, told Saipan Tribune that they implemented the increase effective yesterday afternoon pursuant to amendments to regulations under Public Law 15-108.

When asked why the increase was not announced to the media prior to its implementation, Sablan said she cannot comment on that.

Sablan explained that the initial regulations for the new labor reform law, Public Law 15-108, took effect on Feb. 1, 2008.

“From that regulation on Feb. 1, we had an amendment. We did an amendment to the first regulation. We published it and this new regulations became effective Nov. 1, 2008,” she said.

“In these amendments to the regulations, we have a couple—just a very few—that increased the fees,” she said.

With the amendments, she said, businesses right now will pay $300 instead of the amount that was previously in the first regulations in February, $250.

“The fee for an approved contract for businesses is $300. For non-business employers, it’s $250; that didn’t change,” she said.

Sablan said the increase was actually supposed to take effect on Nov. 1, 2008. “But apparently, things didn’t go as planned. And we just implemented it this afternoon,” she said.

Sablan said the proposed amendments were published in the Commonwealth Register on Sept. 25, 2008, for 30 days.

She declined to explain why Labor increased the fee.

“We did post signs on the fees and apparently today, yes, it’s up there. It’s posted within…why it was not out in the papers I really cannot comment,” she said.

Another business representative said many businesses and their representatives who went to Labor were shocked upon learning of the unannounced increase.

“Many left Labor because their checks or money were not enough,” a business representative said.

He said he had to use his own money to process the papers because his employer is off-island.

“They should have announced it [increase] in the newspapers before implementing it so businesses can prepare. They said it was published on the Register and their website. Who reads the Register’s publication and Labor’s website?” he asked.

A businessman said he submitted a comment on the proposed regulations, but it was not published.

Saipan Tribune obtained a copy of an e-mail exchange between Sablan and Labor Deputy Secretary Cinta Kaipat that was posted at the window of the Labor Processing Section.

In the e-mail dated Monday, Nov. 10, 2008, Sablan told Labor officials that they should put up a sign and inform the public about the increase. Sablan also suggested coming up with a small notice in the newspapers.

In her e-mail response to Sablan on the same day, Monday, Kaipat explained that the fees have already been published in the Commonwealth Register when the labor regulations were proposed and published.

“The fees are effective Nov. 1. Eloy [Finance Secretary Inos] was promised that they would be effective Nov. 1. Please do not hold this up. Publish a reminder if you wish, but do not hold up charging the fees,” Kaipat said.