H.R. 560 would allow certain alien (foreign national) workers and investors who reside in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) to apply for CNMI resident status, which would enable them to live and work in the CNMI indefinitely. Using data from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Government Accountability Office, CBO estimates that about 3,000 alien workers and investors would be eligible to apply for CNMI resident status.
Aliens who qualify for CNMI resident status under H.R. 560 would not be required to repeatedly renew their immigration status during the next decade. Consequently, the fees that they and their employers pay to DHS would be reduced. Those fees are classified as offsetting receipts (that is, as reductions in direct spending) and are available for spending by DHS upon collection under current law. Because the spending occurs soon after the collection, CBO estimates that the net effect on direct spending would be negligible.
