Visitors to the US - Visas and fingerprinting - Part 2

[Charlie_Bubble]

Originally Posted by Bifta

okso .. I might be going to NYC in a few weeks, I already have a 10 year passport with probably 3 or 4 years left on it, will I be able to get into the USA with it or do I need a visa? (sorry if I sound stupid)

You'll be ok. No visa needed.

[punky]

The idea of ID cards are that they would be much harder to forge, and so you can't defraud the police as easy if you are a terrorist. Current ID methods like Driving license, passport and NI card are laughably easy to forge.

On the other non-terror related side, they are also better for us, as they would have our medical history on. In 1 second the paramedic could determine if your diabetic, have history of epilepsy, heart disease, which could speed up diagnosis, and improve the patient's chances of survival. It could also include things like allergies (bee stings/penicillin, etc)

I'd support them by in large. Carrying a small card in my wallet is no skin of my nose, and if i get to save a few lives, as well, then so much the better. I do think it would be drastically unfair if the government charged us. Driving licenses, passports they are luxuries so its fine to charge for them, but for something that is mandatory, then it seems like exploitation to charge for them.

[Bifta]

Originally Posted by Charlie_Bubble

You'll be ok. No visa needed.

Cheers

[Charlie_Bubble]

Anyone know what getting the visa entails? When I went to Moscow I had to get a letter stating where I was staying etc. Is that part of the US process? In Russia you have to register your passport/visa at the hotels when you arrive and carry your passport in leui of an ID card for the police and a piece of paper to get past the hotel security who always hung around the foyer near the lifts to stop unwanteds getting into the hotel.

[Charlie_Bubble]

Originally Posted by Bifta

Cheers

You'll still have the long wait on arrival though.

[kronas]

Originally Posted by Graham

Which is what the government seem to be relying on. Everyone is going to be so scared of the "terrorist threat" that they'll knuckle under to something that is really completely unnecessary.

exactly you 'create' a scheme such as the ID cards one and cause unnessacry surveillance on yourself, then again i have always been against any ID or biometric cards, the criminals will always find a way around it.....