Javid Hassan, Arab News Staff

RIYADH, 22 November 2003 — The US Embassy will introduce a new biometric identification procedure here to fingerprint visa applicants electronically starting today, a spokesman said. The US Consulate General in Jeddah will implement the new procedure on Dec. 7.

The embassy spokesman said the new procedure was developed in response to a Congressional mandate as part of the US-VISIT (US Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology).

Undersecretary Asa Hutchinston of the US Department of Homeland Security explained during his recent visit to Riyadh that US-VISIT is an automated entry and exit program designed to enhance the security of the US.

The program will be operational worldwide by early 2004. It has already been implemented at US diplomatic posts in a number of cities, including Abu Dhabi.

An electronic scanner will digitally record the prints of two fingers in less than a minute. With few exceptions, all non-immigrant visa applicants between the ages of 14 and 79 are to be fingerprinted under the system.

Visitors will be asked to place their index fingers on a glass plate that will electronically capture their fingerprints while their picture is taken.

The measures will expedite visa procedures, US officials say, particularly in the case of trips being arranged at short notice.

The US Department of Homeland Security (USDHS) has opened an office in the US Embassy here, and it will have final visa approval.

The number of students pursuing higher studies in the US dropped by 25 percent each from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait and 15 percent from the UAE. Overall, there was a ten percent fall in enrolment from the Middle East.

According to the embassy spokesman, the main objective of US-VISIT is to address the concerns of legitimate travelers to the US and to reassure them that the US would continue to welcome bona fide visitors traveling to that country whether as businessmen, students, or as tourists.

The US-VISIT program received $380 million this year, while a $330 million budget has been allocated for next year. A total of 115 airports and 14 major seaports in the US will be covered by the program by early next year.