At the end of November last year the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) came under US immigration laws. The absence of US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) final regulations are being blamed on the stalling of Bridge Investment Group’s Tinian casino project. Phillip Mendiola-Long, executive vice president of Bridge Investment Group-CNMI operations, has stated that his company is not pulling out but that TinYuan Construction Group, based in China , has started selling its assets following one year waiting for the go-ahead.

“Federalization has been the main culprit of our inability to issue the notice to proceed because there are no DHS regulations issued which allow the new hiring of our necessary construction workers. Chinese nationals are not allowed to be issued H2,” Mendiola-Long said. His firm hired the construction company in 2008 to build its US$40 million casino and condominiums project on the island.

The DHS says it will make a final ruling on the transitional worker programme after considering comments from a consultation period that ended 8 January. Bridge Investment was granted a casino licence for Tinian in 2005, one of three international investment groups with casino projects for the island where the law allows up to five casinos. Last July there was a ground-breaking ceremony for the Korea-based Neo Goldwings Paradise casino project. The Tinian Dynasty Hotel and Casino has been operating since 1998 and so far remains the only casino on the island. (E-01.18.10)

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