USCIS Releases Q&A on Northern Marianas Employment Authorization, Verification

During the last weeks of immigration control by the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) government, the CNMI government issued two-year transition conditional permits, commonly referred to as “umbrella permits,” to many people holding CNMI alien permits. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has released questions and answers on employment authorization and verification under federal immigration law, particularly with respect to these umbrella permits.

The employment authorization of workers in the CNMI is now under federal law. For a two-year transition period starting on November 28, 2009, however, federal law authorizes workers based on the employment authorization they had received under CNMI law as of the transition date.

Additional resources: Q&A on North Marianas Employment Authorization