Visa News and Annoucements

Security Annoucements

Security Notice To Visa Applicants

Visa applicants may enter carrying only the essential documents and limited personal items necessary for conducting their business. They may not carry any cell phones, beepers, purses, briefcases or bags into the visa waiting room. We will deny entry to persons who do not comply with these requests.

US-Visit Entry Procedures

US-VISIT is part of a continuum of security measures that begins overseas, when a person applies for a visa to travel to the United States, and continues on through entry and exit at U.S. air and seaports and, eventually, at land border crossings.  The US-VISIT program enhances the security of U.S. citizens and visitors by verifying the identity of visitors with visas.  At the same time, it facilitates legitimate travel and trade by leveraging technology and the evolving use of biometrics to expedite processing at our borders.

On January 5, 2004, US-VISIT entry procedures were operational at 115 airports and 14 seaports and we began pilot testing biometric exit procedures at one airport and one seaport.  This year US VISIT entry procedures will be deployed at the nation’s 50 busiest land ports of entry. For more information on this subject, please see the Department of Homland Security's website.