USCIS Extends Transitional Parole for CNMI Long-Term Resident Status Applicants

USCIS announced today that it will automatically extend parole and employment authorization, if applicable, for parolees who timely applied for Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) long-term resident status.

This specific extension of parole applies only to current parolees who timely filed Form I-955, Application for CNMI Long-Term Resident Status, and Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, and whose applications remain pending on June 30, 2021. USCIS will automatically extend their parole (and employment authorization, if applicable) without interruption through Dec. 30, 2021, or the date that USCIS makes a final decision on their Form I‑955 and Form I-765, whichever is earlier.

For eligible parolees whose timely filed Form I-955 and Form I-765 remain pending on June 30, 2021, and who have an Employment Authorization Document (EAD), if applicable, expiring on or before June 30, 2021, the following documentation will serve as evidence of identity and work authorization for Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, purposes until Dec. 30, 2021 (or the date that USCIS makes a final decision on their long-term resident status application, whichever is earlier):

• A copy of this web alert;
• Form I-766, Employment Authorization Document, bearing category code "C-11" with an expiration date on or before June 29, 2020; and
• Evidence that they filed Form I-955 and Form I-765 on or before Aug. 17, 2020. This may be a copy of Form I-797C, Notice of Action, reflecting that they have filed Form I‑765 requesting the classification ("class") code of (c)(37), or if unavailable, a copy of their Form I-955 and Form I-765 with a mail receipt.

The CNMI long-term resident status was created by the Northern Mariana Islands Long-Term Legal Residents Relief Act (Public Law 116-24), signed into law on June 25, 2019. The law specifically gave the Department of Homeland Security the discretion to authorize parole, with work authorization, for these individuals during the time period needed to implement the new law. USCIS previously extended this parole three times in 2020, on June 17, Aug. 11, and Dec. 30.

Eligible individuals had 180 days, until Aug. 17, 2020, to apply for CNMI long-term resident status. USCIS announced the Aug. 17 deadline when it opened the application period on Feb. 19, 2020. If USCIS denies a parolee's Form I-955 and Form I-765, their parole status (and employment authorization, if applicable) will end and they must depart the CNMI.