WASHINGTON—An estimated 200,000 Canadians who work in the United States — from nurses to NHL players — will be fingerprinted and photographed when they enter the country under new rules proposed by the Bush administration yesterday.
The Homeland Security proposal is a significant extension to existing rules that govern a program known as US-VISIT, and represents another ratcheting up of border security in this country.
The US-VISIT program has been in effect since January 2004, but until the release of the new proposal, had affected only a tiny number of Canadians working in the U.S.
It would now be expanded to Canadians travelling through the U.S., students and their dependants, nurses, temporary workers, trainees and their dependants, journalists and their dependants, Canadians transferred to U.S.-based companies, those “internationally recognized as athletes, entertainers or in culturally unique programs,” religious workers and those who have visas under provisions in the North America Free Trade Agreement.
this sucks ! I know i wont be ever entering U.S if they implement this system!
And considering the fact that I am the one who is always “RANDOMLY” picked for luggage and body cavity searches, this means I will probably be held in custody on the border every time I try to set my Big toe inside US - while they do the background check on me for the umpteenth time
My sources tell me that US-VISIT program is now in full swing. Americans are going to watch more carefully their northren border now.
I wish we had that system in Pakistan as well, so that we could finger print all those Afghanis loitering around the border.
Great nations do everything to protect their borders. Americans were easy going happy go lucky people. 9/11 has changed everything. However Pakistanis should learn something from Americans. This is how we should protect ourselves as well.
