What About “Special Registration”?

Background
In the year after September 11th, the U.S. government decided that nationals of certain countries should be more closely monitored than other nonimmigrant aliens. The first phase of “Special Registration,” in fact, began on September 11, 2002, when new entrants from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Sudan were required to be fingerprinted, photographed, and interviewed at their port of entry. Over the next few months, the government required entrants from many more countries (listed below) to undergo these special procedures. The most controversial part of this plan (also known as NSEERS, or “National Security Entry/Exit Registration System”) was the “call-in” which, in short, demanded that all adult males from the NSEERS country list who were inside the United States visit the nearest immigration office to undergo Special Registration. It further mandated that all such non immigrants return exactly one year later to update their registration.

In late 2003, with the imminent arrival of the US-VISIT inspection system at all ports of entry, the call-in mandates were largely lifted. The 30-day repeat registration (for new arrivals) and one-year repeat registration visits (for all) were abandoned.

What is the situation now?
Virtually all nonimmigrant's are now fingerprinted (index finger of each hand) and photographed by the US-VISIT system as they enter the country, but entrants from NSEERS countries are subject to a more thorough inspection and interview process. Those from NSEERS countries must also be sure to notify the government when they depart the U.S., and they may use only designated” ports of departure. (All major airports and land ports are now “designated.”)

Adult males from NSEERS countries must also notify the government when they change their residence address. For students, asking the international student advisor to update their SEVIS record with the new residence address (and making sure it gets done) satisfies the NSEERS change-of-address notification requirement.

Citizens of NSEERS countries should also be aware that the U.S. government has reserved the right to call in individuals for interviews at any time.

A note of caution: As of this writing, regulations prohibit the use of the “automatic visa revalidation” benefit by citizens of countries designated “state sponsors of terrorism: Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria. This means that such citizens cannot go to Canada or Mexico and be re-admitted to the United States without a current, valid visa. (Please see Advisory Note “Automatic Revalidation of Visa” for details.)

However, anecdotal evidence suggests that citizens of the remaining countries on the NSEERS list may also be denied this benefit and therefore should not go to Canada, Mexico, or adjacent islands unless the visa in the passport is correct and still valid. They may be unable to return to the United States.

Home • Site Map • Contact Us!