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a blog with cultural bulimia.

Friday, January 16, 2004

Department of Homeland Security: US-VISIT Program Overview
US-VISIT helps to secure our borders and expedite the entry/exit process while enhancing the integrity of our immigration system and respecting the privacy of our visitors.
US-VISIT uses scanning equipment to collect "biometric identifiers," such as fingerprints, in an inkless process, along with a digital photograph of the visitor. Together with the standard information gathered from a visitor about their identity and travel, the new program will verify the visitor's identity and compliance with visa and immigration policies.
EXEMPT COUNTRIES
Andorra, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom (for citizens with the unrestricted right of permanent abode in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Channel Islands and Isle of Man)
CNN.com: "Critics say the broad-reaching program will cause unnecessary travel delays and may never prove to be effective.
'There's so much information in such volumes that there's a limit to what any analyst can absorb,' said Larry Johnson, an aviation security consultant."