Policy Watch|United States
DHS suspends visa-free Northern Marianas travel for Chinese nationals from 30 October, citing espionage and birth tourism
A Federal Register notice published 27 October (91 FR 67595) suspends the CNMI Economic Vitality & Security Travel Authorization Program (EVS-TAP) at 2 p.m. EDT on 30 October. The program let prescreened nationals of the People’s Republic of China visit only the Northern Mariana Islands for up to 14 days without a visa; more than 3,000 used it in FY2025. Existing authorizations are cancelled too. DHS acknowledges the hit to island businesses but says security risks outweigh it.
Daily Teabag Desk·Centre