Spouses of FAS citizens fret about their status

The immediate relatives of citizens from the Freely Associated States are very worried about what will become of their immigration status after the federal government takes over the operations of local Immigration in June next year.

Their worry is compounded by the amendments to the CNMI’s immigration system, which will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2009. The immediate relatives of FAS citizens are seeking for two-year extension in their status.

Irene Tantiado, president of the United Workers Movement that is helping the FAS citizens with their plight, told Gerson Jackson, Consul General of the Federated States of Micronesia, about this issue in a recent letter.

Jackson recently visited Saipan and met with CNMI Immigration director Melvin Grey and deputy director Tony Sablan as well with UWM and the issue with the IRs of FAS citizens, specifically from the Federated States of Micronesia, who are residing in the CNMI.

The issue, Jackson said, also came up during meetings with legislative leaders as well as with the Gov. Benigno R. Fitial.

“In fact, Governor Fitial personally called Mr. Grey to arrange my meeting with him. I ended up meeting with him and his deputy, Mr. Sablan. I met with the two gentlemen for about an hour. I personally thought it was a very cordial and productive meeting,” Jackson wrote to Tantiado.

He said that Grey was able to clarify the “somewhat contentious point that he [Grey] made in his letter to [Tantiado] that only the FAS entities can resolve the IRs/FAS citizens situation in the CNMI when its Immigration system is federalized.”

“For the FSM, I reported to him that the fifth year reviews of the amended Compact are ongoing and may be the proper avenue to address/resolve the somewhat stringent five-year residency requirement, but that this will be for the long term as the regulations to implement the immigration federalization are due to take effect early next year,” Jackson noted.

He said he emphasized to Grey and Sablan that what the IRs of the FAS citizens in Saipan are seeking is to include them as a special class of non-immigrants.

Such special grant, Jackson noted, is defined by the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act. This would qualify them for a one-year or two-year extension “while the so-called problematic provisions in the amended Compact Treaty are being worked on.”

Tantiado said her group is glad that the request for a two-year extension had been discussed but they can only wait for the announcement.

“FAS citizens are getting worried and I have been getting calls from them asking [about the issue],” Tantiado said.