Citizens of 31 Countries Barred From Entering NMI

Tuesday March 11, 2008


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Citizens of 31 countries barred from entering NMI

By Gemma Q. Casas
Variety News Staff



CITIZENS from 31 countries, including a province in China, are barred from entering the Northern Marianas due to security reasons.

Attorney General Matthew Gregory designated the “excluded locations” on Jan. 24 and a list was published in the Commonwealth Register.

The excluded locations are Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Cuba, Egypt, Eritrea, China’s Fujian province, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Myanmar, Nigeria, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Venezuela, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

Although a commonwealth of the U.S., Northern Marianas remains in control of its borders and immigration system.

In a two-page public notice, Gregory said he has the discretion to decide whether to allow citizens of the 31 countries secure a waiver of exclusion based on several factors.

“I have outlined some of the factors that will be considered when exercising my discretion in deciding whether to grant or deny a request for a waive of exclusion. Note that 1) this is a non-exhaustive list and that there may be other relevant factors considered in making the decision. 2) an applicant may satisfy one or more of the factors but still be denied for other reasons, and 3) this list does not create any rights, nor should it create an expectation that a waiver will be granted if factors on the list are satisfied by an applicant. Also, the applicant must comply with all other requirements of the Immigration Regulations in the application process, including bonding, sponsor requirements, etc.”

If any of the citizens of the 31 excluded locations are granted permission to visit the CNMI, Gregory said special conditions may be imposed on them.

For visitors, this means they will not be allowed to change their category from tourist to documented worker while on island.

The extension of their visitor entry permit, or VEP, may also be subjected to special conditions.