July 28, 2006

Green Card Holders, Others Face New Fingerprint Check

"Millions of legal permanent residents will soon have to be fingerprinted and photographed before reentering the United States by sea or air, in a significant expansion of a long-stalled border security program, officials announced yesterday. Those requirements of the US-VISIT program will be applied around the end of the year to the more than 11 million holders of green cards, as well as all immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, people paroled to the United States and travelers under the Guam Visa Waiver Program, said Robert A. Mocny, acting director of US-VISIT . Certain Canadians entering for extended business or employment also will be subject to the new rule," the Washington Post reports. "Congress required immigration officials to develop biometric identifiers for all noncitizens issued official documents, Mocny said. The program now covers about 32 million visitors annually, exempting only some Canadians and Mexicans."

A total waste of time and effort. GC holders are already "swiped" at the POE to check your ID and verify the card is genuine so what is this going to accomplish?

I bet the POE guys will love the extra workload ;-)

I think you got this one wrong,and its not even news.Its not green card holders.
Its ALL visitors to the United States,regardless from what country.
Since greencard holders are being let in,in the same line and US Citizen.The fingerprint check will not effect GreenCard holders,since the US citizen line does not require a fingerprint check.

Besides...either way,a fingerprint check point won't make anything safe.

HBKHBK:

I'd take a look again at the proposals:

http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main

Type in docket ID DHS-2005-0037 in the search

It does specify LPRs to be included. The real question is how they are gonna handle it. i.e LPRs being processed through the US Citizen line or the visitor line? I know it can take 1.5hrs or more if you have to go through the visitor line.