The Philippine honorary consul to the CNMI feels that the 240-day extension granted to CNMI-Only Transitional Worker visa holders will hardly benefit contract workers here.<\/p>\n
In an interview with Saipan Tribune, Philippine honorary consul Glicerio Arago explained that most CW-1 workers may not be able to avail of the 240-day extension. <\/p>\n
According a Saipan Tribune article, the 240-day extension is subject to conditions and approval by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. <\/p>\n
The article states, \u201cthe 240-day relief given to a CW-1 visa holder is only eligible if the employer renews the CW-1 visa and is asking to continue a previously approved employment; the employer files the petition before the CW-1 visa expires; and if the employer asks to extend the employee\u2019s stay in the petition.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to article, the extension is only available to CW-1 workers who will undergo a renewal process for their visa by the same employer. <\/p>\n
Because of this condition, CW-1 workers who are petitioned as new employees won\u2019t be eligible for this extension, which is almost always the case for most CW-1 employees. <\/p>\n
According to Arago, most employers petition their CW-1 workers as new employees. <\/p>\n
\u201cMost are afraid that if they apply for an extension, their application will be rejected,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Arago speaks from experience. According to him, he has witnessed many renewing applicants get rejected and were required to wait to be petitioned as a new applicant. <\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026It\u2019s true, we applied extensions separately and all of them were rejected,\u201d said Arago. <\/p>\n
According to him, because it is riskier to apply for an extension or renewal, most employers petition their employees as new workers. <\/p>\n
This makes the 240-day extension non-applicable for majority of CW-1 visa holders who are facing the expiration of their visa. <\/p>\n
According to Arago, this extension is also non-beneficial to new visa applicants because you would still need to exit upon approval of their visa. <\/p>\n
Upon approval, visa holders are required to return to the country they came from. <\/p>\n
According to Arago, if the petition for a new visa is approved, the applicant must undergo a consular briefing and undergo the whole process that every new employee must undergo, like an interview with the U.S. Embassy and acquiring an I-94 or proof that you are authorized to work in the United States. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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