Effective today, November 28, 2011, employers hiring individuals for employment in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) must use the standard Form I-9 for all new hires and reverifications in the CNMI.

In 2009, U.S. immigration law began extending to the CNMI as a result of Title VII of the Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008 (CNRA), and required CNMI employers to use Form I-9 CNMI to verify the work eligibility of all new hires, regardless of citizenship.

Form I-9 CNMI contained additional List A documents issued by the CNMI government that are not acceptable on the standard Form I-9.  These additional documents were only acceptable until Nov. 27, 2011.

By Nov. 28, 2011, all workers who previously held CNMI-issued employment authorization must have another basis of work authorization under U.S. law, or have a petition pending for CNMI-only transitional worker status as described below, to continue working in the CNMI.

Disclaimer: The content of this post does not constitute direct legal advice and is designed for informational purposes only. Information provided through this website should never replace the need for involving informed counsel on your employment and immigration issues.

To learn more about how I-9 Compliance Software can help you comply with Form I-9 and E-Verify requirements, click here.