Article: Attention All Green Card Holders!
Szabo, Zelnick and Erickson, P.C.
The Department of Homeland Security has approved new regulations expanding the scope of the US-VISIT program. Effective January 18, 2009, all permanent residents entering or exiting from an air or seaport in the U.S. will now be subject to providing 10 fingerprint scans, photographs and other biometric identifiers.
The US-VISIT program has been in effect since 2004 and has been applied to visitors and non-immigrant’s upon their entry and/or exit from the US. Beginning January 18, 2009, all permanent residents entering or exiting from an air or seaport in the U.S. will be subject to the new requirements. Those traveling by land, may have a brief reprieve and will only be required to provide fingerprints if you are referred to “secondary inspection”, according to the Department of Homeland Security. At this time, not all land ports of entry have ten-fingerprint scanning capability, but this is expected to change within the next month. The bottom line is that those subject to US-VISIT should be prepared for potential delays in travel.
On a practical note, it is very important for lawful permanent residents who have any criminal convictions to be aware that this information will likely be detected during the US-VISIT exit and re-entry. If you fall into this category, you will need to be prepared to present substantial evidence to prove that you should be legally admitted back into the US. There is no guarantee that you will be admitted and as such, it is imperative to consult with an immigration attorney prior to your departure.
The above information is provided for informational purposes only. The information should not be construed as legal advice and does not constitute an engagement of the Szabo, Zelnick & Erickson, P.C. law firm or establish an attorney-client relationship with any of its attorneys. An attorney-client relationship with our firm is only created by signing a written agreement with our firm.
Jerry Erickson is the managing partner of Szabo, Zelnick, & Erickson, P.C. www.szelaw.com and the senior attorney in the firm?s Business Immigration Section. He has practiced law for over twenty years and represents clients in numerous complex areas of immigration law. He can be reached at jerickson@szelaw.com.
Jerry has been a partner with the firm since 1989. Prior to joining the firm, Jerry was selected for a Judicial Clerkship in 1984 to work for the Judges of the Circuit Court of Prince William County.
The Prince William County Bar Association has previously elected Jerry to serve as one of its members on the Judicial Selection Committee. He has also been selected to lecture on behalf of the Virginia State Bar on issues related to ethics and professionalism.
Jerry received his Bachelor?s Degree from George Mason University in 1981 and his Juris Doctor from George Mason School of Law in 1984. He has been a member of the Virginia State Bar Association since 1984 and is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the International Business Committee and the Virginia State Bar International Practice Section. He is admitted to practice in the U. S. District Courts and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit as well as the U.S. Supreme Court.
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