The Marianas Islands Legislature Association (MILA) has adopted a resolution seeking to replace the CNMI’s foreign worker programme with a joint Marianas visa tailored to meet the unique needs of both Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.
MILA unanimously passed Resolution 2-GA-05, which CNMI Rep. Ed. Propst introduced Friday on the second day of the MILA general assembly at the Guam Congress Building in Hagatna.
Propst’s resolution also recommends the creation of a federal Marianas Regional Commission to streamline federal programmes focusing on infrastructure, transportation, workforce development, military buildup, climate and environmental risks and other priority concerns of both Guam and the CNMI.
The resolution includes a provision requiring that any fees associated with the proposed Marianas Visa programme would not leave Guam and the CNMI but will be used for workforce development training in both territories.
Propst said the matter was urgent because the CNMI Transitional Worker Programme, popularly known as the CW-1 programme, will end on 29 December 2029.
The temporary-need exemption for certain H2B workers in Guam and the CNMI will also expire on the same date.
The CW-1 programme has a cap of 13,000 workers and is reduced by 1,000 yearly. In fiscal 2025, the CW-1 cap will be set at 9,000 and will not authorise hiring extraction and construction occupations.
The planned relocation of some 5,000 Marines from Okinawa to Guam, which is expected to start later this year is causing housing prices in Guam to skyrocket, causing concerns that Guam residents are now unable to afford rent or build new homes.
Brown said including the local construction industry among the beneficiaries of the proposed Marianas Visa would enable Guam residents to do major or minor construction.
Senator Celina R. Babauta also spoke to support the resolution and she urged Guam lawmakers to join the CNMI’s efforts by supporting it.
The non-binding resolution was one of several adopted by the assembly for submission to the U. S President and the U.S Congress.
