biometric

The Homeland Security Department is trying to quash criticism of its slow development of an exit piece to the U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology program. Robert Mocny, US-VISIT director, said this week the agency has decided a piece of the exit program will require airlines to collect biometric data of visitors leaving the country when they check in at the airport. Mocny said DHS will issue a notice of proposed rulemaking in the Federal Register by January 2008 detailing the program.

There are few queues more annoying than the one at the end of a day's travelling. It is even more annoying when you are queuing to enter your own country. As a result, frequent travellers have been enrolling in the free biometric Iris Recognition Immigration Scheme (IRIS) to avoid lengthy immigration queues at UK airports.