Finnan, Fleischut & Associates

Lawful Permanent Residents Subject to US-VISIT

Last month, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a final rule in the Federal Register that expanded the list of which foreign nationals are subject to the U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology Program (“US-VISIT”).  US-VISIT is a fingerprinting and biometric data collection system for people traveling to and from the U.S.  The final rule has expanded US-VISIT to include most categories of arriving aliens (non-U.S. citizens), including lawful permanent residents (LPRs) or green card holders, as well.  The final rule takes effect January 18, 2009.

Background

DHS established US-VISIT in 2003 as a way to verify the identities and travel documents of visitors, and to record their arrivals and departures.  US-VISIT automates the verification process by comparing biometric identifiers to information drawn from government databases.  U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers are empowered to collect -- and visitors subject to US-VISIT are requi