Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin signed a notice, published in the Federal Register on 27 October 2026 at 91 FR 67595 (FR Doc. 2026-21880), suspending the CNMI Economic Vitality & Security Travel Authorization Program (EVS-TAP).

What EVS-TAP was

Under regulations at 8 CFR 212.1(r), prescreened PRC nationals could get a one-year travel authorization to enter only the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands without a visa, for a maximum of 14 days per visit. They could not go on to Guam, the mainland or any other U.S. location. The program replaced an earlier case-by-case parole policy that ended on 20 February 2025. Travellers were vetted by Customs and Border Protection rather than by a State Department consular officer.

What changes

  • Effective 1400 EDT, 30 October 2026, for new applicants and for travellers who already hold an approved EVS-TAP authorization.
  • PRC nationals already admitted under EVS-TAP may stay for their current authorized period, but need a visa for any future trip.
  • From that time, PRC nationals visiting the CNMI for business or pleasure need a nonimmigrant visa unless another lawful exception applies.
  • The old parole policy is not reinstated. The suspension lasts while DHS, with the Secretaries of State and the Interior, evaluates the program.

DHS’s stated reasons

The notice says more than 3,000 PRC nationals entered the CNMI under EVS-TAP in fiscal year 2025, and that “DHS judges that PRC nationals are almost certainly exploiting EVS-TAP.” It cites past cases of unauthorized onward travel to Guam and activity near sensitive military installations, and says visa-exempt travel with reduced vetting “may lower barriers” to birth tourism, which it says can strain medical services in the CNMI.

DHS has determined that the identified acute risks to the national security, immigration, and law enforcement interests of the United States outweigh any countervailing personal or economic interests. — DHS notice, 91 FR 67595

Who pays

The notice concedes that some CNMI businesses built plans around tourism and commercial travel from China under EVS-TAP or the earlier parole policy, and that prospective travellers may have made plans. It says they can still apply for a visa.

Citizen impact: For U.S. citizens in the CNMI, the trade-off is direct: fewer visa-free Chinese visitors for an island economy that leaned on them, in exchange for what DHS calls closing a security and birth-tourism gap. For Chinese travellers, a 14-day visa-free trip becomes a consular visa application.

What this piece refuses

We do not report a number of births to Chinese visitors in the CNMI; the notice gives none. We do not say any EVS-TAP traveller was charged with espionage; the notice refers to past incidents, mostly under the earlier parole process. We do not estimate tourism losses.

Bottom line

Visa-free CNMI entry for Chinese nationals ends at 2 p.m. EDT on 30 October, existing authorizations included, while DHS reviews the program.