The United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) program was created by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in response to several Congressional laws passed before and after September 11, 2001.  These laws mandate that an automated entry/exit system be implemented at major air and seaports by December 31, 2003; the 50 most highly trafficked land ports of entry by December 31, 2004; and all ports of entry by December 31, 2005.  DHS announced that the new entry procedures, including fingerprint/photo scanning, will be fully operational at 115 airports and 14 major seaports and the new exit procedures will be operational at up to 10 airports and at one seaport by end of this year.  DHS estimates that the scanning will add only a few minutes to the inspection and admission process. 

The biographic and fingerprint data collected will be used to verify the identity of the visitor and will be compared against watch lists.  The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officer will either admit the visitor or conduct secondary inspection.  Visitors will be required to exit the country at a designated departure kiosk located within a secure area of major international air and seaports.  Implementation of the biometric portion of US-VISIT program will commence in early 2004. "Biometrics" are defined as automated methods of recognizing a person based on physiological or behavioral characteristics, such as facial features, fingerprints, hand geometry, handwriting, iris, retinal, vein and voice.  Biometric technologies are  the basis of an extensive array of highly secure identification and personnel verification solutions.   

In making the announcement, DHS officials reassured the public that the data captured and stored will be accessible only to authorized government personnel on official need-to-know basis.  The program will be implemented in compliance with the Privacy Act and with environmental concerns taken into account, according to the DHS.  For full details and a list of frequently asked questions on the US-VISIT Program, click on http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/.

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