Current Immigration Statistics - Us-visit

Congress mandated in the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2002 (PL 107-173), as amended, that by October 26, 2005, machine-readable, biometric passports (MRP) were required for all visa waiver travelers and children were no longer able to travel on their parents' passports. This deadline required that VWP countries certify that they have programs in place to issue their citizens machine-readable passports that incorporate biometric identifiers and comply with standards established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). These new requirements became FIGURE 3.12
Percentage of TB cases among foreign-born persons, 1993 and 2003
SOURCE: "Percentage of TB Cases among Foreign-Born Persons, United States, 1993 and 2003," Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2005, http://www.cdc.gov/nchstp/tb/pubs/slidesets/surv/surv2003/images/Large/Slide14.gif (accessed February 2, 2005) part of a program called US-VISIT introduced by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to improve border security. The new passport features were developed to allow officials at the ports of entry to more accurately verify the identity of each traveler, to cross-check identities with national and international security watch lists, and to screen for fraudulent documents.

Biometric data, according to the DHS Web site, is a measurable physical characteristic or personal behavioral trait used to recognize the identity or verify the claimed identity of an enrollee. Among the features that can be measured are face, fingerscans, hand geometry, handwriting, iris, retina, vein, and voice. Initially only fingerprint and photo were used.

A machine-readable passport carries encoded biographical data. The size of the passport and photograph, and arrangement of data fields, especially the two lines of data that must be read by an Optical Character Reader, style B (OCR-B), have to meet the standards of the International Civil Aviation Division (Doc 9303, Part 1: Machine-Readable Passports). Biometric technology includes digital, inkless fingerprint scans and digital photographs. According to the DHS, all domestically produced U.S. passports would be biometric passports by the end of 2005. On January 5, 2004, the DHS announced that US-VISIT entry procedures were operational at 115 airports and 14 seaports. Pilot testing of biometric exit procedures (for departing visitors) have begun at one airport and one seaport.

US-VISIT applies to all visitors (with limited exemptions) holding nonimmigrant visas, regardless of country of origin. US-VISIT does not apply to U.S. citizens. Foreign visitors traveling to the United States have their two index fingers scanned and a digital photograph taken to match and authenticate their travel documents at the port of entry. Visas are required for most students, business travelers (depending on their length of stay), and millions of other visitors, regardless of where they lived.