I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 559 

To amend section 6 of the Joint Resolution entitled ‘‘A Joint Resolution 

to approve the Covenant To Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern 

Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States of America, 

and for other purposes’’. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 15, 2019 

Mr. SABLAN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on the 

Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 

each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To amend section 6 of the Joint Resolution entitled ‘‘A 

Joint Resolution to approve the Covenant To Establish 

a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in 

Political Union with the United States of America, and 

for other purposes’’. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Northern Mariana Is5 lands Long-Term Legal Residents Relief Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. LONG-TERM LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE COMMON2 WEALTH OF THE NORTHERN MARIANA IS3 LANDS. 

4 Section 6(e) of the Joint Resolution entitled ‘‘A Joint 

5 Resolution to approve the Covenant To Establish a Com6 monwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political 

7 Union with the United States of America, and for other 

8 purposes’’, approved March 24, 1976 (48 U.S.C. 1806), 

9 is amended by adding at the end the following: 

10 ‘‘(6) SPECIAL PROVISION REGARDING LONG11 TERM RESIDENTS OF THE COMMONWEALTH.— 

12 ‘‘(A) CNMI RESIDENT STATUS.—An alien 

13 described in subparagraph (B) may, upon the 

14 application of the alien, be admitted in CNMI 

15 Resident status to the Commonwealth subject 

16 to the following rules: 

17 ‘‘(i) The alien shall be treated as an 

18 alien lawfully admitted to the Common19 wealth only, including permitting entry to 

20 and exit from the Commonwealth, until the 

21 earlier of the date on which— 

22 ‘‘(I) the alien ceases to reside in 

23 the Commonwealth; or 

24 ‘‘(II) the alien’s status is ad25 justed under section 245 of the Immi26 gration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 


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1 1255) to that of an alien lawfully ad2 mitted for permanent residence in ac3 cordance with all applicable eligibility 

4 requirements. 

5 ‘‘(ii) The Secretary of Homeland Se6 curity— 

7 ‘‘(I) shall establish a process for 

8 such alien to apply for CNMI Resi9 dent status during the 180-day period 

10 beginning on a date determined by the 

11 Secretary but not later than the first 

12 day of the sixth month after the date 

13 of the enactment of this paragraph; 

14 and 

15 ‘‘(II) may, in the Secretary’s dis16 cretion, authorize deferred action or 

17 parole, as appropriate, with work au18 thorization, for such alien beginning 

19 on the date of the enactment of this 

20 paragraph and continuing through the 

21 end of such 180-day period or the 

22 date of adjudication of the alien’s ap23 plication for CNMI Resident status, 

24 whichever is later. 


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1 ‘‘(iii) Nothing in this subparagraph 

2 may be construed to provide any alien 

3 granted status under this subparagraph 

4 with public assistance to which the alien is 

5 not otherwise entitled. 

6 ‘‘(iv) An alien granted status under 

7 this paragraph— 

8 ‘‘(I) is subject to all grounds of 

9 deportability under section 237 of the 

10 Immigration and Nationality Act (8 

11 U.S.C. 1227); 

12 ‘‘(II) is subject to all grounds of 

13 inadmissibility under section 212 of 

14 the Immigration and Nationality Act 

15 (8 U.S.C. 1182) if seeking admission 

16 to the United States at a port of 

17 entry in the Commonwealth; 

18 ‘‘(III) is inadmissible to the 

19 United States at any port of entry 

20 outside the Commonwealth, except 

21 that the Secretary of Homeland Secu22 rity may in the Secretary’s discretion 

23 authorize admission of such alien at a 

24 port of entry in Guam for the purpose 

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1 wealth, which admission shall be con2 sidered an admission to the Common3 wealth; 

4 ‘‘(IV) automatically shall lose 

5 such status if the alien travels from 

6 the Commonwealth to any other place 

7 in the United States, except that the 

8 Secretary of Homeland Security may 

9 in the Secretary’s discretion establish 

10 procedures for the advance approval 

11 on a case-by-case basis of such travel 

12 for a temporary and legitimate pur13 pose, and the Secretary may in the 

14 Secretary’s discretion authorize the 

15 direct transit of aliens with CNMI 

16 Resident status through Guam to a 

17 foreign place; 

18 ‘‘(V) shall be authorized to work 

19 in the Commonwealth incident to sta20 tus; and 

21 ‘‘(VI) shall be issued appropriate 

22 travel documentation and evidence of 

23 work authorization by the Secretary. 

24 ‘‘(B) ALIENS DESCRIBED.—An alien is de25 scribed in this subparagraph if the alien— 


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1 ‘‘(i) was lawfully present on the date 

2 of the enactment of this paragraph or on 

3 December 31, 2018, in the Commonwealth 

4 under the immigration laws of the United 

5 States, including pursuant to a grant of 

6 parole under section 212(d)(5) of the Im7 migration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 

8 1182(d)(5)) or deferred action; 

9 ‘‘(ii) is admissible as an immigrant to 

10 the United States under the Immigration 

11 and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et 

12 seq.), except that no immigrant visa is re13 quired; 

14 ‘‘(iii) resided continuously and law15 fully in the Commonwealth from November 

16 28, 2009, through the date of the enact17 ment of this paragraph; 

18 ‘‘(iv) is not a citizen of the Republic 

19 of the Marshall Islands, the Federated 

20 States of Micronesia, or the Republic of 

21 Palau; and 

22 ‘‘(v) in addition— 

23 ‘‘(I) was born in the Northern 

24 Mariana Islands between January 1, 

25 1974, and January 9, 1978; 


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1 ‘‘(II) was, on November 27, 

2 2009, a permanent resident of the 

3 Commonwealth (as defined in section 

4 4303 of title 3 of the Northern Mar5 iana Islands Commonwealth Code, in 

6 effect on May 8, 2008); 

7 ‘‘(III) is the spouse or child (as 

8 defined in section 101(b)(1) of the 

9 Immigration and Nationality Act (8 

10 U.S.C. 1101(b)(1))) of an alien de11 scribed in subclause (I) or (II); 

12 ‘‘(IV) was, on November 27, 

13 2011, a spouse, child, or parent of a 

14 United States citizen, notwithstanding 

15 the age of the United States citizen, 

16 and continues to have such family re17 lationship with the citizen on the date 

18 of the application described in sub19 paragraph (A); or 

20 ‘‘(V) had a grant of parole under 

21 section 212(d)(5) of the Immigration 

22 and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 

23 1182(d)(5)) on December 31, 2018, 

24 under the former parole program for 

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1 tered by U.S. Citizenship and Immi2 gration Services. 

3 ‘‘(C) JUDICIAL REVIEW.—Notwithstanding 

4 any other law, no court shall have jurisdiction 

5 to review any action or determination of the 

6 Secretary of Homeland Security to implement, 

7 administer or enforce this paragraph. 

8 ‘‘(D) PROCEDURE.—The requirements of 

9 chapter 5 of title 5, United States Code (com10 monly referred to as the Administrative Proce11 dure Act), or any other law relating to rule12 making, information collection or publication in 

13 the Federal Register shall not apply to any ac14 tion to implement, administer or enforce this 

15 paragraph.’’. 

Æ 


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