US Suspends Visa-Free Entry Programme for Chinese Nationals to Northern Mariana Islands

The US Department of Homeland Security has suspended the programme that allowed prescreened Chinese nationals to visit the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) without a visa for up to 14 days. DHS announced the suspension of the Economic Vitality and Security Travel Authorization Program (EVS-TAP) in an official notice on October 27, citing national security, law enforcement and immigration enforcement concerns.

The suspension applies to both new applicants and travellers holding existing authorisations. Chinese nationals already admitted under the programme and legally present in the territory on the effective date may remain for their authorised period of stay. Future visits will require a visa.

Who announced the change?

US Senator Mike Lee, a Republican from Utah, disclosed the decision in a post on X on Monday, crediting Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin with closing what he called a loophole for Chinese birth tourism.

"I'm very pleased to report that @SecMullinDHS at @DHSgov just CLOSED Joe Biden's loophole for Chinese birth tourism for which we sounded the alarm earlier this year," Lee said.

"America is not a nursery for the CCP to steal citizenship. Thank you, President Trump!" he added.

Lee also highlighted an April post by Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin, which reported that four Republican senators — Lee, John Cornyn, Rick Scott and Bill Cassidy — had urged DHS to close the programme. They argued Chinese nationals were exploiting it to obtain US citizenship for children through birthright citizenship.

What does the suspension change in practice?

Chinese nationals seeking to visit the CNMI for business or pleasure must now obtain an appropriate nonimmigrant visa before travelling, unless another lawful exception applies. The suspension does not reinstate the previous parole policy for Chinese nationals, which was discontinued on February 20, 2025.

The programme was introduced in 2024 as a restricted sub-programme under the Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver framework. It aimed to balance the economic importance of Chinese tourism to the territory against national security, public safety and immigration concerns. DHS will now evaluate the programme and measures to address the identified risks, in consultation with the Departments of State and the Interior.

In short: the 14-day visa-free route is closed, and the consular visa process is the only path forward for most Chinese travellers.

Why did DHS act?

The notice said the United States faced "evolving and sophisticated threats," which combined with the volume of Chinese arrivals created "a significant risk to the security and law enforcement interests of the United States." More than 3,000 Chinese nationals used EVS-TAP to enter the CNMI in fiscal year 2025. Travellers were vetted by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), not by a State Department consular officer.

"While the program was intended to facilitate economic travel and enhance security over the prior parole policy, this volume of visa-exempt entries presents unacceptable security and law enforcement risks," the notice stated.

DHS said it believed Chinese nationals were "exploiting" the programme. It cited previous incidents involving unauthorised onward travel and activities near sensitive US military installations. The notice identified potential "espionage and intelligence collection" targeting US defence infrastructure in the Indo-Pacific as a significant concern, and noted the strategic importance of Guam and the CNMI.

The department cited cases in which Chinese nationals were "convicted of conspiring" to transport other Chinese nationals illegally from the CNMI to Guam. One case allegedly involved nine people; another involved seven. The notice said most of those individuals were "later encountered in or near sensitive military installations."

What about birth tourism and local business?

DHS said the programme could be exploited by visitors seeking US citizenship for children born in the territory without lasting ties to the country. It warned birth tourism could strain the CNMI's medical infrastructure and create additional intelligence and espionage risks. The notice also raised concerns about organised criminal networks, money laundering and labour abuses linked to PRC-connected enterprises in the CNMI.

The department acknowledged the suspension could hurt local businesses that relied on Chinese tourism and commercial travel, and could cause financial losses or inconvenience for prospective travellers. It concluded those concerns were outweighed by national security, immigration and law enforcement considerations.

The bottom line for practitioners: Chinese clients bound for the CNMI now need a nonimmigrant visa, and existing authorisations hold no value for future trips.