Donald Trump’s controversial crackdown on immigrants is a topic of global discussion and political debate, and amidst this, the Department of Homeland Security or DHS (United States) has issued new rules for all green card holders and foreigners. The new entry-exit rules will require all immigrants and non-citizens to be photographed when entering or exiting the country. And for all other details, continue reading this article.
New US Entry-Exit Rules For All Immigrants: Here Are All The Details
US Rolls Out New Entry-Exit Rules
This new rule for all immigrants will be executed by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) forces. All non-citizens, including immigrants living in the US as well as green card holders will be required to submit their biometric data and be photographed upon entry and exit from the US.
There already exists a rule of photographs and fingerprint scanning customary for certain immigrants. Also certain non-citizens have been required to submit their biometric data upon entry to the US since 2004. However, the new rule will make it mandatory for all foreigners and green card holders to submit their biometric data upon entry and exit into the US.
Under the new policy, CBP plans to use facial recognition technology as the primary method of identification due to its speed and scalability. Along with it, fingerprints will also be collected when necessary. While US citizens are excluded from this mandate, they will have the option to opt-out of facial recognition for identity verification if they prefer.
Also Read: US Visa: How To Apply, What Documents Are Needed, Advantage For Indian Passport Holders And More
Why Are The New Entry-Exit Rules Being Implemented?
As per the DHS, “comprehensive data gathering for entry and exit for non-citizens will help address national security concerns, fraudulent use of travel documentation, and visa overstays.”
Furthermore, the previous exemption of biometric data for those under 14 years of age and above 79 years of age has also been removed.
While the DHS has notified that photographs of immigrants would be taken during entries and exits, other biometric data such as fingerprints could also be taken by CBP officials.
CBP, in its Federal Register filing, stated, “Implementing an integrated biometric entry-exit system that compares biometric data of aliens collected upon arrival with biometric data collected upon departure helps address the national security concerns arising from the threat of terrorism, the fraudulent use of legitimate travel documentation, aliens who remain in the United States beyond their period of authorized stay (overstays) or are present in the United States without being admitted or paroled, as well as incorrect or incomplete biographic data for travelers”. The new rules are set to be implemented starting December 26, 2025.
Also Read: US H-1B Visa: From Policy Changes To Its Effect On Indian Tourists, Here’s All You Need To Know
US To Demand Up To INR 13 Lakh Deposit On Select Tourist And Business Visas!
The US recently also announced that it is launching a 12-month-long pilot program to curb visa overstay in the US. Under this program, select tourist and business visa applicants will be required to pay a mandatory fee of up to $15,000 (approximately INR 13,16,062) in bond deposits!
Citizens from Malawi and Zambia, two countries with some of the highest visa overstay rates, to post a bond of up to $15,000. US officials have also stated that applicants from some other countries might be required to pay this deposit soon. However, it has not released an official statement regarding all the countries that will be expected to follow this rule.
The official notice further stated that the pilot program would commence within 15 days of its formal publication. The notice also stated that the countries included in this list shall be revealed no earlier than 15 days before the actual commencement of the pilot program.
Summing Up
The new US entry-exit rules have been implemented for all immigrants, including green card holders. They’ll be mandatorily required to submit their photographs upon entry and exit in the country, with the DHS citing that the new rules will help improve national security, visa overstays, and fraudulent use of documents. What do you think of this move?
