The United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) program is a border entry/exit system that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plans to implement for non-immigrant visa holders. Unless Congress changes the policy, the program will not be used to process Canadian foreigners nor individuals entering the U.S. through the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). (The Visa Waiver Program Act of 2000 requires that VWP records be incorporated into an automated entry-exit system. Additionally, the USA Patriot Act mandates that VWP countries have machine-readable passports with biometric identifiers by October 26, 2004. Find more on the VWP at: http://www.usvisanews.com/articles/memo2140.shtml.)

The goals of US-VISIT, as detailed by the DHS are to:

• Enhance the security of our citizens and visitors
• Expedite legitimate travel and trade
• Ensure the integrity of the immigration system
• Safeguard the personal privacy of our visitors

Along with standard information gathered from foreign visitors upon entry to the U.S., the program will entail scanning travel documents, "biometric identifiers" (e.g. inkless fingerprints and digital photographs), checking visitors' identities against databases and watchlists, and verifying compliance with visa and immigration policies. When departing from the U.S., procedures include verification of identities with similar "biometric identifiers," and the creation of a departure record. According to an October 28, 2003 Press Release from the DHS, "the new procedures are expected to add just seconds to the entry and exit process."

Once the entry data is gathered, it is to be "securely stored as part of the visitor's travel record...made available only to authorized officials and selected law enforcement agencies responsible for ensuring the safety and security of U.S. citizens and foreign visitors." Exit confirmation data will also be added to the visitors' travel records in the Arrival/Departure Information System (ADIS).

The US-VISIT program is planned to be implemented in phases: airports and seaports by the end of 2003, the top 50 high-traffic land border ports by the end of 2004, and the remaining ports by the end of 2005. The biometric departure portion of the program is to begin in 2004 at airports and seaports. For the process to work efficiently, separate databases from three immigration bureaus must be integrated into US-VISIT. The US-VISIT team includes representatives from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Department of Transportation, the Department of State, and the General Services Administration.

If readers would like to read more about US-VISIT, please see the Department of Homeland Security website at http://www.dhs.gov/us-visit.