2 AMP meetings discuss fate of IRs

Over 100 people with Immediate Relative status in the CNMI participated in two separate meetings organized by the United Workers Movement NMI and lawyers Bruce Mailman and Maya Kara at the American Memorial Park last Saturday.

In a meeting at the Visitors’ Center Theater, Mailman and Kara discussed the IR status of U.S. citizen spouses when the federal takeover happens on June 1, 2009.

Mailman told the IRs that their chances of getting “green cards” are very good if they just tell the truth.

United Workers Movement MMI president Irene Tantiado told Saipan Tribune that during a recent meeting they recognized the need to hold an educational meeting about the IR status of the spouses of U.S. and Freely Associated States citizens.

“We’ve been trying to see if somebody else would come up with a meeting but no one did,” Tantiado said.

Recently, Mailman and Kara were holding similar meetings, but on a smaller scale.

“I talked to them and asked them if they want to combine and have one big meeting for everybody. This is the output,” Tantiado said.

Since Mailman is an expert in the area of getting “green cards,” he is their preference, she added.

Besides Mailman and Kara, Tantiado said they are also talking with a lawyer in Houston and communicating with another lawyer in Guam.

“Each law firm offers a different expertise. As much as possible we want to give people options where they are comfortable,” she said.

“I just want to clarify that this is just to educate them on what really is in the law. I know, as I said before, the [federalization] law is not fair to all. Some people might get hurt, some people may benefit. We are here to educate them,” Tantiado said.

After the meeting with Kara and Mailman, Tantiado’s group and the City Taxi Association of Rabby Syed later held a separate meeting with IR spouses of FAS citizens at the park’s Amphitheater.

Critical issues discussed during the meeting include:

The proposed amendments to the CNMI immigration system allowing for two-year permits for some categories do not include IRs of FAS citizens. The effective date of the proposed amendments is Jan. 1, 2009. U.S. P.L. 110 – 229 (federalization law) provides that the entry permit will be valid until it expires after June 1, 2009 or two years, whichever is shorter. A two-year permit will give an additional year for the immediate relatives to join the workforce and be part of CNMI-only guest workers program or until a political solution is reached, if any.

Petition the FAS government to waive across the board the five-year residency requirement for those IRs who are already on CNMI prior to June 1, 2009 so they can convert their citizenship to FAS.

Ask the Department of Homeland Security to give consideration to the IRs of FAS citizens

FAS citizens should participate in the efforts to ask the CNMI government to include their IRs in the categories that will allow two-year permits and in seeking a political status for their IRs.

It is estimated that there are 300 FAS citizens who are married to an alien spouses in the CNMI.

As part of the resolution, the group launched a signature campaign that will support the petitions, to be submitted to the CNMI Division of Immigration and the FAS governments. Deadline to submit petition to the CNMI Division of Immigration is Nov. 24, 2008.

FAS citizens who want to join the petition may contact Rabby Syed at 285-3306 or Irene Tantiado at 285-7717 or they may drop by Winchell’s Garapan from 6:30pm to 9:30pm every night until Nov. 23.

Mailman said the filing fee to get “green cards” has increased tremendously.

“With the various forms you have to file with the government, the total fee is now $1,365,” he said.

The lawyer said a child under the age of 14 does not have to pay the $80 fingerprint photograph fee.

“Add to that, the medical exam. Add to that the cost of getting your certified documents, the police clearance, copies for everything, travel expenses as long as you still have to go to Guam. Add to that is attorney’s fees,” he said.

Mailman said a single application is going to cost about $3,035.