New York · est. 2013Saturday, September 5, 2026
Inside Immigration

Plain-language guides to US immigration, asylum and USCIS procedure.

Forms

I-129CW Petition for a CNMI-Only Nonimmigrant Transitional Worker

The employer petition for a CW-1 transitional worker in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. It exists only because the CNMI has its own transitional labour programme separate from the rest of U.S. immigration law.

Fee
$1,015 plus additional fees; $510 plus additional fees for a small employer or nonprofit. A Fraud Prevention and Detection fee applies to each petition and cannot be waived.
Fee waiver
Not available
Who files
Employers in the CNMI.
Where to file
By mail to the USCIS service center named in the instructions.

Usually filed with

Part of these processes

What changed in 2025 and 2026

  • The CNMI transitional worker programme has been extended by Congress in short increments; check the current authorisation before filing.

Official page. https://www.uscis.gov/i-129cw. Download the form there, never from a third-party site; check the edition date and fee before filing.