US-bound Namibians face fingerprint test

FROM next week, Namibians aged 14 and over who apply for non-immigrant visas to enter the United States can expect to be digitally fingerprinted as part of the application process.

This requirement forms part of a worldwide US security programme which came into effect for some countries last Monday, with the aim of improving national security and preventing terrorist attacks. The US Embassy in Windhoek issues between 800 and 1 000 visas a year – of which about 60 per cent are for business- and tourist-related purposes.The new equipment, which will record the biometric data, is being installed in Windhoek this week.A scanner collects two fingerprints without the use of ink in a process that takes only a few seconds.Namibia is one of some 160 countries to be subject to this new visa- application requirement.The US Embassy’s spokesperson in Namibia, George Kopf, told The Namibian: “There is no question about it that the goal of the programme is to enhance security.But it’s not just for Americans: it will enhance everybody’s security”.This action is part of a twofold security initiative titled US-VISIT (United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology) which involves the fingerprinting and photographing of airport arrivals from countries whose nationals require visas to enter the US.These measures will enable a traveller’s identity to be verified by US Immigration officials and cross-checked with data supplied for the visa application.Citizens from 27 countries, most of them in Europe, who are permitted to travel to the US without a visa will be exempt from this procedure.But Kopf told The Namibian that the new security programme had other advantages, too, in that it would curb identity fraud in instances where documents were stolen.”It’s important for people to understand that this is a good thing.There is nothing intrusive about it,” Kopf said.Visa applicants unwilling to be fingerprinted when submitting their form will find their applications rejected.Installation of the new biometrics technology in all the visa-requiring countries should be completed by October.The US consulate in Cape Town will also start fingerprinting visa applicants from next week.The US Embassy in Windhoek issues between 800 and 1 000 visas a year – of which about 60 per cent are for business- and tourist-related purposes. The new equipment, which will record the biometric data, is being installed in Windhoek this week. A scanner collects two fingerprints without the use of ink in a process that takes only a few seconds. Namibia is one of some 160 countries to be subject to this new visa- application requirement. The US Embassy’s spokesperson in Namibia, George Kopf, told The Namibian: “There is no question about it that the goal of the programme is to enhance security. But it’s not just for Americans: it will enhance everybody’s security”. This action is part of a twofold security initiative titled US-VISIT (United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology) which involves the fingerprinting and photographing of airport arrivals from countries whose nationals require visas to enter the US. These measures will enable a traveller’s identity to be verified by US Immigration officials and cross-checked with data supplied for the visa application. Citizens from 27 countries, most of them in Europe, who are permitted to travel to the US without a visa will be exempt from this procedure. But Kopf told The Namibian that the new security programme had other advantages, too, in that it would curb identity fraud in instances where documents were stolen. “It’s important for people to understand that this is a good thing. There is nothing intrusive about it,” Kopf said. Visa applicants unwilling to be fingerprinted when submitting their form will find their applications rejected. Installation of the new biometrics technology in all the visa-requiring countries should be completed by October. The US consulate in Cape Town will also start fingerprinting visa applicants from next week.