Approved residence
(A) Approved investment or residence means an investment or residence approved by the CNMI government. (B) Approval letter means a letter issued by the CNMI government certifying the acceptance of an approved investment subject to the minimum investment criteria and standards provided in 4 N. Mar. I. Code section 5941 et seq. (long-term business certificate), 4 N. Mar. I. Code section 5951 et seq. (foreign investor certificate), and 4 N. Mar. I. Code section 50101 et seq. (foreign retiree investment certificate). (C) Certificate means a certificate or certification issued by the CNMI government to an applicant whose application has been approved by the CNMI government. (D) Continuously maintained residence in the CNMI means that the alien has maintained his or her residence within the CNMI since being lawfully admitted as a long-term investor and has been physically present therein for periods totaling at least half of that time. Absence from the CNMI for any continuous period of more than six months but less than one year after such lawful admission shall break the continuity of such residence, unless the subject alien establishes to the satisfaction of DHS that he or she did not in fact abandon residence in the CNMI during such period. Absence from the CNMI for any period of one year or more during the period for which continuous residence is required shall break the continuity of such residence. (E) Public organization means a CNMI public corporation or an agency of the CNMI government. (F) Transition period means the period beginning on the transition program effective date and ending on December 31, 2029. (iii) Long-term investor status. Long-term investor status under the immigration laws of the CNMI includes only the following investor classifications under CNMI immigration laws as in effect on or before November 27, 2009: (A) Long-term business investor. An alien who has an approved investment of at least $50,000 in the CNMI, as evidenced by a Long-Term Business Certificate. (B) Foreign investor. An alien in the CNMI who has invested either a minimum of $100,000 in an aggregate approved investment in excess of $2,000,000, or a minimum of $250,000 in a single approved investment, as evidenced by a Foreign Investment Certificate. (C) Retiree investor. An alien in the CNMI who: