Hiring a Japanese Chef in Guam and Saipan: Wages, H-2B, CW-1

Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands (the CNMI, whose main island is Saipan) are US territory a few hours' flight from Tokyo. For a Japanese restaurant there, the customers are close to Japan but the employment and immigration rules are American, with some local twists that exist nowhere else. This guide covers the minimum wages, the pay data, the Japanese community and the two work visa routes that matter most in the islands: H-2B on Guam, which runs outside the national cap, and the CNMI-only CW-1. It reflects the rules as of September 2026.

1. Two territories, two rulebooks

Guam and the CNMI are separate jurisdictions. They have different minimum wages, and different visa programs apply. A restaurant group with outlets in both needs to handle each on its own terms. A worker admitted on a CNMI-only visa cannot simply transfer to a Guam outlet.

2. Minimum wage and what cooks earn

These figures come from the US Department of Labor's state and territory tables, updated 1 July 2026. On Guam, the DOL lists no tip credit: tipped workers get the full minimum wage before tips.

Official pay data for the islands is thin. BLS wage data for May 2025 (via O*NET) covers restaurant cooks on Guam but publishes no figures for chefs and head cooks on Guam, and none for the CNMI:

The median Guam cook earns $11.03 an hour, well below the mainland median. That gap is the central problem in recruiting a Japanese-trained chef to the islands. A cook in Japan or on the US mainland will compare your offer with what they earn now, not with the Guam median. Consider adding housing, flights and meals to a base wage set above the local scale. See relocation packages for chefs.

3. The Japanese market on Guam and Saipan

Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs counted 2,697 Japanese nationals on Guam (down 0.8%) and 493 in the Northern Mariana Islands (unchanged) as of 1 October 2025. The resident community is small; the Japanese restaurant market in the islands depends heavily on visitors.

We tried to confirm current Japanese visitor arrival figures from the Guam Visitors Bureau, the official source, but its site was not available when we checked in September 2026. We therefore give no arrival numbers here. If you are planning an opening, get the latest monthly arrivals by market from the Visitors Bureau (Guam) or the Marianas Visitors Authority (CNMI) before you size your kitchen team, because visitor mix changes quickly.

4. Guam: H-2B outside the national cap

On the US mainland, H-2B visas are capped at 66,000 a year and demand far exceeds supply. Guam is different. Under 48 U.S.C. 1806(b), during the CNMI transition program, which runs to 31 December 2029, a worker may be admitted to Guam or the CNMI on an H visa without counting against the national H-2B cap. The exemption covers work performed only on Guam or in the CNMI.

Three things still apply:

• The need must be temporary. The statute relaxes the temporary-need rule only for construction linked to the military realignment and for certain healthcare workers. A restaurant still needs a genuine seasonal, peakload, one-time or intermittent need. A permanent sushi chef position does not qualify.
• Labor certification comes from Guam. Under 8 CFR 214.2(h)(6)(iii), a Guam employer applies for temporary labor certification to the Governor of Guam, not the US Secretary of Labor.
• Country eligibility. H-2B is generally limited to nationals of countries on a DHS list. Japan was on the list published on 8 November 2024, effective until 8 November 2025; we could not confirm a later designation. Check the current list before planning to bring a cook from Japan.

The general H-2B rules are in H-2B visas for restaurant cooks.

5. Saipan and the CNMI: the CW-1 visa

The CNMI has its own worker category, the CNMI-Only Transitional Worker visa (CW-1), set by 48 U.S.C. 1806 and 8 CFR 214.2(w). The key points for a restaurant:

• It is ending. The transition period runs to 31 December 2029. The regulation sets falling annual limits: 8,000 for fiscal year 2026, 7,000 for 2027, 6,000 for 2028, 5,000 for 2029 and 1,000 for the first quarter of fiscal year 2030. Unused numbers do not carry over.
• Labor certification and prevailing wage. Since fiscal year 2020, the employer must first obtain a temporary labor certification from the Department of Labor (Form ETA-9142C, with a prevailing wage determination on Form ETA-9141C). The worker must be paid at least the highest of the CNMI minimum wage, the federal minimum and the prevailing wage for the occupation. Without an approved CNMI wage survey, the statute sets the prevailing wage as the mean wage for similar workers on Guam in BLS data.
• Employer conditions. The business must be legitimate as defined in the regulation, including being a participant in good standing in E-Verify and having complied substantially with wage, safety and employment laws for the previous five years.
• Short petitions. An approved petition is valid for up to one year, or up to three years for a "long-term worker" as defined in the regulation. Extensions require a new petition.
• CNMI only. The worker must be ineligible for other US nonimmigrant worker classifications, and CW-1 status allows work only in the CNMI. Travel to Guam is permitted only in direct transit.
• Fees. On top of the USCIS filing fee, the statute sets an annual supplemental fee of $200 per worker, which DHS may adjust for inflation, and a $50 fraud prevention fee per petition. Check USCIS for current amounts.

For a Japanese restaurant on Saipan, CW-1 can bridge a staffing gap, but it cannot be the long-term plan. Build a local team alongside any CW-1 workers, and take advice early on what happens to each worker's status as the program winds down.

6. Other routes

Guam is part of the United States for immigration purposes, so the usual routes apply: E-2 for restaurants at least 50% owned by Japanese nationals hiring Japanese staff in supervisory or specialized roles (see E-2 visas for Japanese restaurant staff), O-1B for a distinguished chef, and EB-3 through PERM for a permanent hire. For the full comparison, see visa sponsorship for Japanese chefs. The islands' situation has something in common with Hawaii, where the customer base is also driven by visitors from Japan.

7. A hiring checklist

1. Treat Guam and the CNMI as separate employers for wage and visa purposes.
2. Pay at least $9.25 on Guam, with no tip credit, and $7.25 in the CNMI.
3. Build offers for Japanese chefs around housing, flights and meals, not the local cook median.
4. On Guam, use H-2B only for a genuine temporary need, apply to the Governor of Guam for labor certification, and confirm Japan's eligibility.
5. In the CNMI, plan CW-1 hires around the shrinking annual limits and the end of the program on 31 December 2029.
6. Get current visitor arrival data before sizing the team.

General information gathered from official sources in September 2026, not legal or immigration advice. Territory programs have changed often and the CNMI transition period is due to end in 2029. Confirm current rules with USCIS, DOL, the Guam Department of Labor or an immigration attorney before acting.