US embassy to blank old visas

THE US embassy confirmed yesterday it had not increased fees for non-immigrant visas. However it warned persons with older US visas without photos that those are now invalid for travel and in March, fingerprinting for visas will begin, in keeping with the January 5 requirement that all visitors to the US be fingerprinted. A release from the embassy explained that older US visas without photos, which were issued in 1994 and early 1995, should be renewed. The embassy said those visas are being eliminated for security reasons and therefore holders of those visas would not be able to use them for travel.

These older visas consist of a simple coloured ink stamp in the bearer’s passport. The embassy advised that holders renewing these visas should do so in the early part of this year, when demand is lower and waits are shorter. The embassy assured holders of visas with photos issued in mid-1995 that these will remain valid through their expiration date. The embassy also noted that from March this year, most non-immigrant visa applicants will be electronically fingerprinted as part of the visa application process. The embassy said exceptions would be made for diplomatic and official visas, those requiring visas for medical emergencies and applicants under the age of 14 and over the age of 79. It assured that all visas issued between now and March will be valid until their expiration date.

The embassy stated that a report over the weekend on television, of an increase in fees for non-immigrant visas was erroneous. The embassy said the fee remained at US$100 (TT$610). As of January 5, with certain exceptions, all travellers entering the US with a visa at its commercial international airports and at 14 major seaports, have been electronically fingerprinted and photographed at immigration inspection stations. The new procedure is part of the US-VISIT programme, which is designed to protect the US and its international visitors against crime and terrorism. Travellers entering the US under the visa waiver programme are not subject to the new requirements.