Privacy Impact Assessment Update for the United States Visitor and Immigration Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) Program, In Conjunction With the Final Rule (73 FR 77473), Enrollment of Additional Aliens in US-VISIT   [open pdf - 189KB]

"The United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) Program is an integrated, automated biometric entry-exit system that records the arrival and departure of aliens; conducts certain terrorist, criminal, and immigration violation checks on aliens; and compares biometric identifiers to those collected on previous encounters to verify identity. US-VISIT is publishing this Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) update in connection with the publication of the final rule to expand US-VISIT biometric collection requirements to cover additional classes of aliens. Under the final rule, effective January 18, 2009, 2008, US-VISIT will have the authority to process all aliens not explicitly exempted, with the exception of those Canadian citizens applying for admission as B-1/B-2 visitors for business or pleasure. The United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) Program is an integrated, automated biometric entry-exit system that records the arrival and departure of aliens; conducts certain terrorist, criminal, and immigration violation checks on aliens; and compares biometric identifiers to those collected on previous encounters to verify identity. US-VISIT has been implemented in stages, with each stage adding additional capabilities, locations of implementation, or populations. For each stage, US-VISIT has published a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA), or an update that describes changes to the program from previous PIAs. This PIA updates the US-VISIT PIA that analyzed the expansion of US-VISIT to cover additional categories of aliens, which was published on July 12, 2006, in support of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on the Authority to Process Additional Aliens in US-VISIT."