WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING:

"hi Walt, I am very impressed. I never thought of early retiring there until seeing this website. I am interested in finding out more.-- Jim W (from the early-retirement.org forum about welovesaipan.com)

"I have read great things about you and your assistance. I have already found your book to be of great assistance. It is awesome! Thanks so much."-- B. Manuel re: Saipan Living

"Just finished your book and very much did enjoy it I am sure I will read again and again it has a lot of very good information and answered most of my questions."--Keith P. p.s. keep me in the loop please.

WHERE IS SAIPAN?

Located in the western pacific, a short flight from Guam and 3 hours from Japan, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) is a popular tourist destination rich in history, culture and natural resources. Saipan, just 5 miles wide by 12 miles long, is the largest and most populated of the 14 islands making up an archipelago that stretches 400 miles (north to south) along the edge of the Marianas Trench.

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YOU NEED TO KNOW...

These are the topics, conversations, latest developments, pending legislation and stuff that will affect life, business and tourism on Saipan, Tinian, Rota and the rest of the CNMI Despite historical opposition by the general population voiced in public referanda over the years, local lawmakers pushed through an approval of allowing a company to build and operate a casino on Saipan. MORE..

This is likely the most urgent situation in the CNMI. With the total number of allowable contract worker contracts decreasing each year towards the goal of a total phaseout by the USCIS recently announced that this year's "cap" of 12,999 CNMI work permits has been reached. Consequently, any contract worker with a CW1 visa whose renewal application was not filed, will not be renewed regardless of years in the CNMI, regardless of the number of dependent family members living in the CNMI. This decision has already started to have dire consequences for employers, spouses and children of contract workers on Saipan, Tinian and Rota.... MORE..

The minimum wage in the CNMI is now $6.05/hour. Here's what you need to know if you are looking for a job here. MORE..

The Visa Waiver Program that allows citizens of Russia and China to visit the CNMI without securing a visa in advance is still in effect. Japan tourist numbers fall while China tourist numbers rise. MORE..

Article XII (12), the section of the CNMI constitution that limits land ownership to those of Northern Mariana descent only is up for re-evaluation. MORE..

Both Tinian and Pagan have been subjects of debate MORE..

On the night of Sunday, August 2, 2015, Typhoon Soudelor made landfall on the island of Saipan. Though officially recorded as a "Category 5-equivalent super typhoon,” speculation continues that Soudelor’s winds far exceeded this category. Cars and even trucks were overturned, and it was later discovered that the wind speed recording equipment was destroyed during the storm; the highest speed recorded before the failure was 180 miles per hour. At the time, it was the most powerful storm to make landfall....ever…anywhere that year. Soudelor’s core (the eye and eyewall) was smaller than the island. That's why the devastation on Saipan was so intense, and why the neighboring island of Tinian, only two miles away, was virtually untouched by the storm. As we approach the year anniversary, check out what it was like and how the island survived the aftermath... MORE..

What's the voting situation? What's the cost of living? Read what other people have frequently asked over the years...! MORE..