Department of Homeland Security released an advance copy of a public notice that it is removing all currently designated countries from the listing of countries whose nationals and citizens are required to comply with National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS) registration requirements, thus effectively ending the NSEERS registration process, through the publication of the notice in the Federal Register.
NSEERS was first implemented in 2002 as a temporary measure in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attachs and was designed to record the arrival, stay, and departure of certain individuals from countries chosen based on an analysis of possible national security threats. NSSEERS registration required approximately 30 minutes in secondary inspection for each person at each arrival, and NSEERS registration were also required of those registrants upon their departure from the United States at one of the 118 designated ports of departure. This not only limited travel flexibility but also resulted in increased deportation and removal cases for many registrants who had been out of status at the registration.
The countries currently listed on the original NSEERS are: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Egypt, Eritrea, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
This notice will become effective upon publication in the Federal Register on 4/28/11 and therefore starting tomorrow citizens and nationals of those previous NSEERS listed countries are no longer subject to the secondary inspection automatically simply because of their national origin.
If you have any questions about this posting or NSEERS Registration or any other areas of US immigration law or a pending case, you can email us at:
Yu, South & Associates, Where YOU Matter the Most.