Starting next October at the latest, people applying for US visas will be required to provide their fingerprints in compliance with the US government's increased anti-terrorist security measures, according to the American Institute in Taiwan.
The fingerprinting will be conducted using an inkless "biometric identifier" scanning technology.
Applicants will also have digital headshots taken.
The new measures are part of the Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology program (US-VISIT) planned by the Department of Homeland Security, an agency set up in response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
"We are moving rapidly to complete development and deploy the US-VISIT capability to meet the congressionally mandated deadline of Dec. 31, 2003," AIT quoted department official Asa Hutchinson as saying.
Automated entry/exit systems are expected to be up and running at US air and seaports by the end of this month, the 50 most highly trafficked land ports of entry by Dec. 31 next year and all ports of entry by Dec. 31, 2005.
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