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On December 2, 2003, the Department of Homeland Security
(DHS) published a rule that amends several requirements associated
with the Special Registration program. This applies to all
individuals who are subject to special registration (NSEERS).
1. Individuals who have already been special registered
and are subject to NSEERS are still required to register
when leaving the U.S. with an immigration officer at the
designated ports and leave from that port the same
day. Before you leave for the airport, be sure that you
know the location of the immigration office in the airport
through which you are traveling.
All males from the NSEERS designated countries are still
required to register with an immigration officer at the
designated ports of entry whenever entering the U.S. Be
sure to leave several hours between your expected arrival
at the U.S. port of entry and any connecting flights to
another destination.
2. From December 2, 2003, there will no longer be a 30-day
or one-year re-registration requirement. This means that
individuals subject to NSEERS do not need to register again
at the local immigration office (Norfolk) 30 days after
entry or at the one-year mark.
3. However, the new rule does allow DHS, as a matter of
discretion, to notify nonimmigrants subject to NSEERS registration
to appear for one or more additional continuing registrations.
You will be contacted by DHS if you are required to report.
If you are not contacted, do not report to an immigration
office.
4. Individuals subject to NSEERS who hold F- or J-type
visas will have their address changes monitored through
the SEVIS system. Changes of address must be reported immediately
to the Office of International Education – Immigration
Services. However, students and scholars in these statuses
no longer need to mail in the AR-11SR form.
5. A new system, US-VISIT, is being implemented and requires
that all international visitors will be fingerprinted at
the port of entry or embassy by 2005.
Be aware that newspapers are reporting these changes with
varying amounts of accuracy. If you have any questions regarding
this process, contact your international student adviser to
receive the most current and accurate information.
Also, the OIE-IS has set up a 24-hour contact number in
case a VCU student is stopped at the port of entry during
weekends or school vacations. VCU students can call the non-emergency
VCU Police telephone number, (804) 828-1196, and explain the
situation. Please leave a contact number for call back. The
police will contact me at home and I will contact the student
as soon as possible.
More information about NSEERS
and US-VISIT
is available on the Web.
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