Passport restriction for US visits eased

[emad]

The Times
By Richard Ford and Steve Keenan



THE US Government has retreated from immediately imposing tough new passport rules on UK citizens travelling to America.
The Home Office warned US-bound travellers that from yesterday they must have a machine-readable passport or visa to enter the country.

But travellers without the passport will not automatically be returned home from the US on the next flight.

The US Department of Homeland Security said that immigration officials will be able to grant a “one-time exemption” to holidaymakers from the UK and a further 21 countries arriving without a machine-readable passport.

Asa Hutchinson, under-secretary for Border and Transportation Security, said: “These interim procedures will allow US Customs and Border Protection officers to enforce the law effectively and exercise discretion when appropriate.
More:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,172-1330991,00.html

BUT....the fingerprinting is still mandatory on arrival?
Wonder if they figerprinted Cherie Blair on her last two trips........

[muriel_volestrangler]

1. Wow - The Times is on the ball

only 5 days late with the news -

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-4569591,00.html