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PRESS RELEASE
US Biometric Passport Deadline will Harm Transatlantic
Business, Says Transatlantic Business Organisation (BritishAmerican Business)
New York and London, 15 April 2004 – BritishAmerican Business Inc
(BritishAmerican Business), the leading transatlantic business organisation, has written to
Congressman Sensenbrenner, Chairman of the US Congress Committee on the
Judiciary, raising concerns about the 26 October deadline set for the
introduction of biometric passports for nationals of the 27 Visa Waiver
Programme (VWP) countries – which includes the UK – entering the US.
An estimated 13 million visitors from VWP Countries enter the US each
year. Currently, travellers from VWP countries are allowed to enter the US
for up to 90 days for business or leisure, using only a passport. As it is
clear that biometric technology will not be ready in any VWP country, or
even the US, these visitors will have to register for the existing
US-VISIT programme until the biometric facilities are in place. US-VISIT
requires that visitors travel to the US on a specific visa and, on arrival
at any air or sea port, have their index fingers scanned and a digital
photograph taken to verify identity.
BritishAmerican Business is concerned about the implications this early termination of the
VWP will have on bilateral trade. In a letter to Congressman
Sensenbrenner, Chairman of the US Congress Committee on the Judiciary, Ian
Stopps CBE, Chairman of BritishAmerican Business, said: “If the US holds its current deadline,
many hundreds of thousands of business travellers and leisure visitors who
journey from the UK to the US will face significant inconvenience.”
BritishAmerican Business therefore welcomes the Committee hearing to review the current
requirements and deadlines imposed by the Enhanced Border Security Act,
scheduled for 21 April 2004. The letter from BritishAmerican Business to Congressman
Sensenbrenner urges that an extension of the current Visa Waiver Programme
until 31 December 2006 be put in place as a matter of urgency.
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For further information, please contact:
Sarah Sim
BritishAmerican Business (London)
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7467 7412
E-mail: ssim@BritishAmerican Businessnc.org
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