H. R. 559 
One Hundred Sixteenth Congress 
of the 
United States of America 
AT THE FIRST SESSION 
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Thursday, 
the third day of January, two thousand and nineteen 
An Act 
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’’. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Northern Mariana Islands Long- 
Term Legal Residents Relief Act’’. 
SEC. 2. LONG-TERM LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF 
THE NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS. 
Section 6(e) 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’’, approved March 24, 1976 
(48 U.S.C. 1806), is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(6) SPECIAL PROVISION REGARDING LONG-TERM RESIDENTS 
OF THE COMMONWEALTH.— 
‘‘(A) CNMI RESIDENT STATUS.—An alien described in 
subparagraph (B) may, upon the application of the alien, 
be admitted in CNMI Resident status to the Common-
wealth subject to the following rules: 
‘‘(i) The alien shall be treated as an alien lawfully 
admitted to the Commonwealth only, including permit-
ting entry to and exit from the Commonwealth, until 
the earlier of the date on which— 
‘‘(I) the alien ceases to reside in the Common-
wealth; or 
‘‘(II) the alien’s status is adjusted under sec-
tion 245 of the Immigration and Nationality Act 
(8 U.S.C. 1255) to that of an alien lawfully 
admitted for permanent residence in accordance 
with all applicable eligibility requirements. 
‘‘(ii) The Secretary of Homeland Security— 
‘‘(I) shall establish a process for such alien 
to apply for CNMI Resident status during the 180- 
day period beginning on a date determined by 
the Secretary but not later than the first day of 
the sixth month after the date of the enactment 
of this paragraph; and 
‘‘(II) may, in the Secretary’s discretion, 
authorize deferred action or parole, as appropriate, 
with work authorization, for such alien beginning
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on the date of the enactment of this paragraph 
and continuing through the end of such 180-day 
period or the date of adjudication of the alien’s 
application for CNMI Resident status, whichever 
is later. 
‘‘(iii) Nothing in this subparagraph may be con-
strued to provide any alien granted status under this 
subparagraph with public assistance to which the alien 
is not otherwise entitled. 
‘‘(iv) An alien granted status under this para-
graph— 
‘‘(I) is subject to all grounds of deportability 
under section 237 of the Immigration and Nation-
ality Act (8 U.S.C. 1227); 
‘‘(II) is subject to all grounds of inadmissibility 
under section 212 of the Immigration and Nation-
ality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182) if seeking admission to 
the United States at a port of entry in the 
Commonwealth; 
‘‘(III) is inadmissible to the United States at 
any port of entry outside the Commonwealth, 
except that the Secretary of Homeland Security 
may in the Secretary’s discretion authorize admis-
sion of such alien at a port of entry in Guam 
for the purpose of direct transit to the Common-
wealth, which admission shall be considered an 
admission to the Commonwealth; 
‘‘(IV) automatically shall lose such status if 
the alien travels from the Commonwealth to any 
other place in the United States, except that the 
Secretary of Homeland Security may in the Sec-
retary’s discretion establish procedures for the 
advance approval on a case-by-case basis of such 
travel for a temporary and legitimate purpose, and 
the Secretary may in the Secretary’s discretion 
authorize the direct transit of aliens with CNMI 
Resident status through Guam to a foreign place; 
‘‘(V) shall be authorized to work in the 
Commonwealth incident to status; and 
‘‘(VI) shall be issued appropriate travel docu-
mentation and evidence of work authorization by 
the Secretary. 
‘‘(B) ALIENS DESCRIBED.—An alien is described in this 
subparagraph if the alien— 
‘‘(i) was lawfully present on the date of the enact-
ment of this paragraph or on December 31, 2018, in 
the Commonwealth under the immigration laws of the 
United States, including pursuant to a grant of parole 
under section 212(d)(5) of the Immigration and Nation-
ality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(d)(5)) or deferred action; 
‘‘(ii) is admissible as an immigrant to the United 
States under the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 
U.S.C. 1101 et seq.), except that no immigrant visa 
is required; 
‘‘(iii) resided continuously and lawfully in the 
Commonwealth from November 28, 2009, through the 
date of the enactment of this paragraph;
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‘‘(iv) is not a citizen of the Republic of the Marshall 
Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, or the 
Republic of Palau; and 
‘‘(v) in addition— 
‘‘(I) was born in the Northern Mariana Islands 
between January 1, 1974, and January 9, 1978; 
‘‘(II) was, on November 27, 2009, a permanent 
resident of the Commonwealth (as defined in sec-
tion 4303 of title 3 of the Northern Mariana 
Islands Commonwealth Code, in effect on May 8, 
2008); 
‘‘(III) is the spouse or child (as defined in 
section 101(b)(1) of the Immigration and Nation-
ality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(b)(1))) of an alien described 
in subclause (I) or (II); 
‘‘(IV) was, on November 27, 2011, a spouse, 
child, or parent of a United States citizen, notwith-
standing the age of the United States citizen, and 
continues to have such family relationship with 
the citizen on the date of the application described 
in subparagraph (A); or 
‘‘(V) had a grant of parole under section 
212(d)(5) of the Immigration and Nationality Act 
(8 U.S.C. 1182(d)(5)) on December 31, 2018, under 
the former parole program for certain in-home 
caregivers administered by United States Citizen-
ship and Immigration Services. 
‘‘(C) AUTHORITY OF ATTORNEY GENERAL.—Beginning on 
the first day of the 180-day period established by the Sec-
retary of Homeland Security under subparagraph (A)(ii)(I), 
the Attorney General may accept and adjudicate an applica-
tion for CNMI Resident status under this paragraph by 
an alien who is in removal proceedings before the Attorney 
General if the alien— 
‘‘(i) makes an initial application to the Attorney 
General within such 180-day period; or 
‘‘(ii) applied to the Secretary of Homeland Security 
during such 180-period and before being placed in 
removal proceedings, and the Secretary denied the 
application. 
‘‘(D) JUDICIAL
REVIEW.—Notwithstanding any other 
law, no court shall have jurisdiction to review any decision 
of the Secretary of Homeland Security or the Attorney 
General on an application under this paragraph or any 
other action or determination of the Secretary of Homeland 
Security or the Attorney General to implement, administer, 
or enforce this paragraph. 
‘‘(E) PROCEDURE.—The requirements of chapter 5 of 
title 5, United States Code (commonly referred to as the 
Administrative Procedure Act), or any other law relating 
to rulemaking, information collection or publication in the 
Federal Register shall not apply to any action to implement, 
administer or enforce this paragraph.’’. 
SEC. 3. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS. 
The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of complying 
with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall be determined