116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 559 
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 Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Northern Mariana Is-
lands Long-Term Legal Residents Relief Act’’. 
SEC. 2. LONG-TERM LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE COMMON-
WEALTH OF THE NORTHERN MARIANA IS-
LANDS. 
Section 6(e) of the Joint Resolution entitled ‘‘A Joint 
Resolution to approve the Covenant To Establish a Com-
monwealth 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 Commonwealth subject 
to the following rules: 
‘‘(i) The alien shall be treated as an 
alien lawfully admitted to the Common-
wealth only, including permitting entry to 
and exit from the Commonwealth, until the 
earlier of the date on which— 
‘‘(I) the alien ceases to reside in 
the Commonwealth; or
‘‘(II) the alien’s status is ad-
justed under section 245 of the Immi-
gration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
1255) to that of an alien lawfully ad-
mitted for permanent residence in ac-
cordance with all applicable eligibility 
requirements. 
‘‘(ii) The Secretary of Homeland Se-
curity— 
‘‘(I) shall establish a process for 
such alien to apply for CNMI Resi-
dent 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 dis-
cretion, authorize deferred action or 
parole, as appropriate, with work au-
thorization, for such alien beginning 
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 ap-
plication for CNMI Resident status, 
whichever is later. 
‘‘(iii) Nothing in this subparagraph 
may be construed 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 paragraph— 
‘‘(I) is subject to all grounds of 
deportability under section 237 of the 
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 
U.S.C. 1227); 
‘‘(II) is subject to all grounds of 
inadmissibility under section 212 of 
the Immigration and Nationality 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 Secu-
rity may in the Secretary’s discretion 
authorize admission of such alien at a
port of entry in Guam for the purpose 
of direct transit to the Common-
wealth, which admission shall be con-
sidered an admission to the Common-
wealth; 
‘‘(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 Secretary’s discretion establish 
procedures for the advance approval 
on a case-by-case basis of such travel 
for a temporary and legitimate pur-
pose, 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 sta-
tus; and 
‘‘(VI) shall be issued appropriate 
travel documentation and evidence of 
work authorization by the Secretary.
‘‘(B) ALIENS DESCRIBED.—An alien is de-
scribed in this subparagraph if the alien— 
‘‘(i) was lawfully present on the date 
of the enactment 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 Im-
migration and Nationality 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 re-
quired; 
‘‘(iii) resided continuously and law-
fully in the Commonwealth from November 
28, 2009, through the date of the enact-
ment of this paragraph; 
‘‘(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 section 
4303 of title 3 of the Northern Mar-
iana 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 Nationality Act (8 
U.S.C. 1101(b)(1))) of an alien de-
scribed in subclause (I) or (II); 
‘‘(IV) was, on November 27, 
2011, a spouse, child, or parent of a 
United States citizen, notwithstanding 
the age of the United States citizen, 
and continues to have such family re-
lationship with the citizen on the date 
of the application described in sub-
paragraph (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 adminis-
tered by United States Citizenship 
and Immigration Services. 
‘‘(C) AUTHORITY
OF
ATTORNEY
GEN-
ERAL.—Beginning on the first day of the 180- 
day period established by the Secretary of 
Homeland 
Security 
under 
subparagraph 
(A)(ii)(I), the Attorney General may accept and 
adjudicate an application 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 pro-
ceedings, and the Secretary denied the ap-
plication. 
‘‘(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 para-
graph. 
‘‘(E) PROCEDURE.—The requirements of 
chapter 5 of title 5, United States Code (com-
monly referred to as the Administrative Proce-
dure Act), or any other law relating to rule-
making, information collection or publication in 
the Federal Register shall not apply to any ac-
tion 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 by reference to the latest statement 
titled ‘‘Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation’’ for this 
Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record 
by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, pro-
vided that such statement has been submitted prior to the 
vote on passage. 
Passed the House of Representatives June 3, 2019. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 559 
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 Mar-
iana Islands in Political Union with the United 
States of America, and for other purposes’’.