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The Many Faces of Stern Elkind Curray & Alterman LLP

Since 1985,Stern Elkind Curray & Alterman has limited its practice to immigration law, with a special emphasis on matters relating to the employment of foreign professionals. Mr. Stern and Ms. Elkind founded the firm with the goal of providing the very best immigration advice and representation to our clients. As the firm has grown, we have continued our commitment to maintaining a high level of expertise combined with an understanding that our clients are individuals whose lives are deeply affected by the work we do. Over the years, we have developed expertise and wide-ranging experience in all facets of immigration law.

We continue to be deeply affected by our clients, some of whom are introduced within this web site.

US VISIT System

January 12, 2004

The Department of Homeland Security launched the first stage of the Visitor and Immigration Status Indication Technology (US VISIT) system on January 5. When complete, US VISIT will record the entries and departures of non-immigrants to and from the U.S. In its initial stage, the system takes the index fingerprints and digital photographs of non-immigrants entering on visas who arrive at 115 airports and 14 seaports in the U.S. This biometric information is checked against various government databases. Unless Congress acts to delay the implementation deadlines, DHS will be required by law to expand the entry/exit program to the top 50 high traffic land border ports by December 31, 2004, and the remaining ports of entry by December 31, 2005. The exit procedures have not yet been implemented, but are anticipated some time this year and compliance will be mandatory.

The following visa categories are exempt from enrollment in US-VISIT: A-1, A-2, C-3 (except for attendants, servants or personal employees of accredited officials), G-1, G-2, G-3, G-4, NATO-1, NATO-2, NATO-3, NATO-4, NATO-5, NATO-6. However, if an individual entering the U.S. in an exempt status is no longer in such status on his or her date of departure, he or she would be subject to the departure requirements. Also, non-immigrants using the Visa Waiver Program or who are Canadians and are not entering on visas, are exempt from US VISIT. Nevertheless, those entering through the Visa Waiver Program must have tamper-proof machine-readable passports (MRPs) that include biometric identifiers by October 26, 2004. Individuals without an MRP will have to apply for a visa at a U.S. consulate and will be subject to US- VISIT enrollment at the post. Children under the age of 14 and persons over the age of 79 on the date of admission are currently exempt from US-VISIT.

After a visa holder is enrolled in US-VISIT, he or she will still have to provide fingerprints and have a digital photograph taken upon each entry to the U.S. Ideally, in the future, visa holders will be able to swipe their biometric passport or visa, provide index fingerprints and photo, and be checked for identity against the US-VISIT database.

For more details please refer to the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) "US VISIT" web page http://www.dhs.gov/interweb/assetlibrary/USVISIT_QnA_102703.PDF

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