Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2003/01/31/03-2164/removal-of-visa-and-passport-waiver-for-certain-permanent-residents-of-canada-and-bermuda
Timestamp: 2019-10-18 21:55:14
Document Index: 101799751

Matched Legal Cases: ['ART 231', '§\u2009217', '§\u2009212', '§\u2009212', '§\u2009231', '§\u2009235', '§\u2009217', '§\u2009286', 'art 2', '§\u2009212', 'art 231', 'art 235', '§\u2009217', '§\u2009217', '§\u2009217', '§\u2009217', 'art 286', '§\u2009286', '§\u2009217', '§\u2009235']

Federal Register :: Removal of Visa and Passport Waiver for Certain Permanent Residents of Canada and Bermuda
A Rule by the Immigration and Naturalization Service on 01/31/2003
5189-5194 (6 pages)
INS No. 2202-02
1115-AG68
PART 231—ARRIVAL-DEPARTURE MANIFESTS AND LISTS; SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/03-2164 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/03-2164
Start Preamble Start Printed Page 5190
This rule amends the Immigration and Naturalization Service (Service) regulations by providing that residents of Canada or Bermuda having a common nationality with Canadian nationals or with British subjects in Bermuda will be required to present a valid passport and visa when applying for admission to the United States. Nationals of Ireland and British Commonwealth countries, who reside in Canada, will be affected by this change. The Service is taking this action, revoking the prior passport and visa exemption for these individuals, in conjunction with the Department of State. (See Department of State regulations published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register.) This rule is intended to increase security and safeguard the United States.
Effective date: This rule is effective March 17, 2003.
Comment date: Written comments must be submitted on or before April 1, 2003.
Section 212(d)(4)(B) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (Act) permits the Attorney General and the Secretary of State (acting jointly) to waive the passport and visa requirements of section 212(a)(7)(B)(i) of the Act, 8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(7), for admission to the United States in nonimmigrant status. This waiver may be granted on the basis of reciprocity with respect to nationals of foreign contiguous territories or adjacent islands or for residents of those territories or islands who have a common nationality with those nationals.
Service regulations at 8 CFR 212.1(a) implement this waiver authority for Canadian citizens, British subjects in Bermuda and certain aliens from other islands. In addition, the current regulations provide a waiver of the passport and visa requirements for residents of Canada or Bermuda who have a common nationality with citizens of Canada or with British subjects in Bermuda. This latter waiver includes citizens of British Commonwealth countries as well as citizens of Ireland. Nationals of 54 countries who reside in Canada or Bermuda currently benefit from this waiver. Country List “A” following the chart Current versus New Documentary Requirements lists the British Commonwealth countries as of the publication date of this regulation.
Residents of Canada or Bermuda who are nationals of a designated Visa Waiver country listed in § 217.2(a), who present a valid passport issued by that country, may continue to be admitted without a visa if they are entering the United States for less than 90 days for business or pleasure. Countries that have been designated as eligible for the Visa Waiver Program may be found in Country List “B” after the chart “Current versus New Documentary Requirements'.
This rule does not alter existing waivers of passport and visa for Canadian citizens or for British subjects in Bermuda. In amending § 212.1(a), it is broken into subsections (1) through (4) to make the documentary requirements clearer to the reader. This rule makes no changes to the current documentary requirements for Bahamian nationals or British subjects resident in The Bahamas or British subjects resident in the Cayman Islands or in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
And the purpose of your visit to the U.S. (and time of stay, if applicable) is:
Then the change this rule makes from current INS regulations is:
And you will need the following to enter the U.S.:
1. Canadian citizen Non-immigrant visitor (except E-1, E-2—treaty trader—and K-1 through K-4—spouses and fiance(e)s of U.S. citizens) No change from current regulations Identification; If coming from outside the Western Hemisphere a passport is required. (The following nonimmigrant classifications require a passport and visa: E-1, E-2, K-1, K-2, K-3, K-4. See INA Section 101(a).)
2. Permanent resident of Canada or Bermuda who is a citizen of a British Commonwealth country—Country List “A” Non-immigrant Change to now require a valid passport and valid nonimmingrant visa Valid passport and valid nonimmigrant visa.
3. Citizen of a country participating in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) regardless of place of residence—Country List “B” Non-immigrant visitor for business or pleasure for less than 90 days No change from current regulations Valid passport.
Start Printed Page 5191
4. Citizen of a country participating in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) regardless of place of residence—Country List “B” Non-immigrant visitor for business or pleasure for more than 90 days or for any other nonimmigrant purpose No change from current regulations Valid passport and valid visas in the appropriate classification (Section 101(a)(15) of the INA).
5. Citizen of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda Nonimmigrant No change from current regulations Evidence of citizenship; if coming from outside the Western Hemisphere a passport is required.
6. Citizen of an country, other than Canada or Bermuda, not listed in Country List “B”, Visa Waiver Countries Nonimmigrant No change from current regulation Valid passport and valid non-immigrant visa.
The following list of countries comprises Country List “A”—British Commonwealth Countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Brunei Darussalam, Cameroon, Cyprus, Dominica, Fiji Islands, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Swaziland, The Bahamas, The Gambia, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Vanuatu, Zambia, and Zimbabwe
The following list of countries comprises Country List “B”—Visa Waiver Program countries (see 8 CFR 217.2): Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Uruguay. The United Kingdom refers only to British citizens who have the unrestricted right of permanent abode in the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man); it does not refer to British overseas citizens, British dependent territories' citizens, or citizens of British Commonwealth countries.
In light of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the Service, in conjunction with the Department of State, has determined that it is in the public interest to reconsider the existing waiver for such aliens. Because the Department of State requires special clearance procedures for nationals of some countries that are beneficiaries of the waiver, the Department of State and the Service have determined that requiring a passport and visa for these aliens will provide a higher level of security for the United States. Current beneficiaries of the waiver include nationals from countries with high rates of documentary and immigration fraud and abuse and nationals from countries with high nonimmigrant refusal rates. In many cases, documents presented by beneficiaries of the waiver do not meet current document security standards.
In view of these determinations, the Service is amending its current nonimmigrant documentary regulations in § 212.1(a) to eliminate the passport and visa waiver for residents of Canada or Bermuda who have a common nationality with citizens of Canada or with British subjects in Bermuda. Accordingly, such nationals will be required to present visas and passports when applying for admission to the United States. The Service also notes that, as a result of eliminating this existing waiver, these aliens will now be subject to 8 CFR 235.1(f)(1) and upon arrival shall be issued, upon payment of the appropriate fee for land border admissions, a Form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record as evidence of the terms of their admission.
The interim rule amends § 231.1(d) to require the residents of Canada and Bermuda who are nationals of Ireland or British Commonwealth countries, who are entering the United States for business or pleasure to complete the Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record.
As a result of the requirement for a passport and nonimmigrant visa, residents of Canada who must present those documents for admission to the United States will no longer be eligible for a Canadian Border Boat Landing Permit (Form I-68) described in § 235.1(e). United States citizens, Canadian citizens and those residents of Canada who are nationals of a designated Visa Waiver country listed in § 217.2(a) will continue to be eligible for the Canadian Boat Landing Permit.
Service regulations at 8 CFR 286.9(b) regarding the payment of a fee for a Form I-68, Canadian Border Boat Landing Permit, § 286.9(b) are being revised to remove the reference to lawful permanent resident of Canada having a common nationality with Canadians since this group of aliens will no longer be eligible for the program.
The Service's implementation of this rule as an interim rule, with provisions for post-promulgation public comments, is based on the “good cause” exceptions found at 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B). Implementation of this rule as an interim rule is necessary to ensure the national security needs of the United States. Specifically, the implementation of the passport and visa requirement on aliens residing in Canada or Bermuda including those aliens who are nationals of countries that require special clearance procedures, nationals of countries with high rates of documentary and immigration fraud and abuse, and nationals from countries with high nonimmigrant refusal rates, will ensure that these applicants for admission are properly screened via the Department of State's visa issuance process prior to arrival at a port-of-entry Start Printed Page 5192to the United States and possess positive evidence of their identity and the intended purpose of their stay in the United States upon such arrival. This will lessen the possibility that persons who pose security risks to the United States and other potential immigration violators may improperly gain admission to the United States. There is reasonable concern that publication of the rule as a proposed rule could lead to an increase in applications for admissions by mala fide non-citizen residents of Canada or Bermuda seeking to avoid the passport requirement and consular screening process during the period between the publication of a proposed and a final rule. Accordingly, the Service finds that it is impracticable and contrary to the public interest to publish this rule with prior notice and comment period.
The Service estimates approximately 1 million British Commonwealth nationals are living as permanent residents of Canada, and that there will be approximately 500,000 entries to the United States each year at land border ports-of-entry. Based on this total annual estimate of 500,000 entries of British Commonwealth nationals, the Service anticipates that the additional fees collected from Form I-94s, issued to these residents of Canada who are British commonwealth nationals, may amount to as much as 3 million dollars per year.
As previously stated, the passport and visa requirement is being imposed to increase security and safeguard the United States. The events of September 11, 2001 resulted in the need to assess and evaluate current practices in order to strengthen the law enforcement and security interests of the United States. Requiring permanent residents of Canada and Bermuda who are British Commonwealth nationals to have a nonimmigrant visa will ensure that these applicants for admission are properly screened via the Department of State's visa issuance process prior to arrival at a port-of-entry to the United States and possess positive evidence of their identity and the intended purpose of their stay in the United States upon such arrival. This will lessen the possibility that potential immigration violators or persons who pose security risks to the United States may improperly gain admission to the United States.
Of the 54 countries affected by this regulation, only 6, Australia, Brunei, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom, are eligible for the Visa Waiver Program. In order to be designated as a participating Visa Waiver Program country, nationals of the country must have a low refusal rate for U.S. visas. In addition, the Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary of State must determine that the country's designation for the Visa Waiver Program would not compromise U.S. law enforcement or national security interests, including interests in enforcing immigration laws.
This rule will not have substantial direct effects on the States, on the relationship between the National Start Printed Page 5193Government and the States, or on the distribution of power and responsibilities among the various levels of government. Therefore, in accordance with section 6 of Executive Order 13132, it is determined that this rule does not have sufficient federalism implications to warrant the preparation of a federalism summary impact statement.
Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Pub. L. 104-13, all Departments are required to submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), for review and approval, any reporting or recordkeeping requirements inherent in a rule. This rule does not impose any new reporting or recordkeeping requirements under the Paperwork Reduction Act. The OMB previously approved the information collection requirements contained in this rule for use. INS has submitted changes to the burden hours with regards to Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record and Form I-68, Canadian Border Boat Landing Permit. As a result of this regulation, the burden hours associated with Form I-94 have increased by 33,000 total annual hours. The OMB control number associated with Form I-94 collection is 1115-0077. The burden hours associated with Form I-68 have decreased by 830 hours. The OMB control number associated with Form I-68 is 1115-0065.
Authority: 8 U.S.C. 1101, 1102, 1103, 1182, 1184, 1187, 1225, 1226, 1127; 8 CFR part 2.
2. In § 212.1, paragraph (a) is revised to read as follows:
(1) Canadian citizens. A passport is not required except after a visit outside of the Western Hemisphere. A visa is not required.
(2) Citizens of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda. A passport is not required except after a visit outside of the Western Hemisphere. A visa is not required.
(3) Bahamian nationals or British subjects resident in the Bahamas. A passport is required. A visa required of such an alien unless, prior to or at the time of embarkation for the United States on a vessel or aircraft, the alien satisfied the examining U.S. immigration officer at the Bahamas, that he or she is clearly and beyond a doubt entitled to admission, under section 212(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, in all other respects.
(4) British subjects resident in the Cayman Islands or in the Turks and Caicos Islands. A passport is required. A visa is required of such an alien unless he or she arrives directly from the Cayman Islands or the Turks and Caicos Islands and presents a current certificate from the Clerk of Court of the Cayman Islands or the Turks and Caicos Islands indicating no criminal record.
3. The authority citation for part 231 is revised to read as follows:
4. Section 231.1, is amended by:
a. Revising the last sentence in paragraph (d) introductory text; and by
b. Removing paragraphs (d)(1) and (d)(2).
Arrival manifest for passengers.
(d) * * * Citizens of Canada or the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda are not required to complete the departure portion of the Form I-94 if they are entering the United States for business or pleasure under section 101(a)(15)(B) of the Act, and intend to remain in the United States for less than 6 months.
5. The authority citation for part 235 continues to read as follows:
6. Section 235.1 is amended by:
b. Revising paragraph (e)(1)(v); and by
c. Revising the last sentence in paragraph (e)(5)(ii).
(e) U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents of the United States, and other aliens, entering the United States along the northern border, other than at a port-of-entry. A citizen of Canada or a permanent resident of Canada who is a national of a country listed in § 217.2(a) of this chapter may, if in possession of a valid, unexpired, Canadian Border Boat Landing Permit (Form I-68) or evidence of enrollment in any other Service Alternative Inspections program (e.g., the Immigration and Naturalization Service Passenger Accelerated Service System (INSPASS) or the Port Passenger Accelerated Service System (PORTPASS)), enter the United States by means of a pleasure craft along the northern border of the United States from time-to-time without further inspection. No persons other than those described in this paragraph may participate in this program. Permanent residents of Canada who are nationals of a designated Visa Waiver Program country listed in § 217.2(a) of this chapter must be in possession of a valid, unexpired passport issued by his or her country of nationality, and an unexpired multiple entry Form I-94W, Nonimmigrant Visa Waiver Arrival/Departure Form, or an unexpired passport, valid unexpired United States visa and I-94 Arrival/Departure Form. When an entry to the United States is made by a person who is a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Start Printed Page 5194Canada who is a national of a designated Visa Waiver Program country listed in § 217.2(a) of this chapter, entry may be made under this program only for a purpose as described in section 101(a)(15)(B)(ii) of the Act as a visitor for pleasure. Persons seeking to enter the United States for any other purpose must do so at a port-of-entry staffed by immigration inspectors. Persons aboard a vessel which has crossed the international boundary between the United States and Canada and who do not intend to land in the United States, other than at a staffed port-of-entry, are not required to be in possession of Form I-68, Canadian Border Boat Landing Permit, or evidence of enrollment in an Alternative Inspections program merely because they have crossed the international boundary. However, the Service retains the right to conduct inspections or examinations of all persons applying for admission or readmission to or seeking transit through the United States in accordance with the Act.
(ii) * * * Participants who are permanent residents of Canada who are nationals of a Visa Waiver Program country listed in § 217.2(a) of this chapter must also be in possession of proper documentation as described in paragraph (e) of this section.
7.The authority citation for part 286 continues to read as follows:
8. Section 286.9 is amended by revising paragraph (b)(4).
§ 286.9
(4) A citizen or lawful permanent resident alien of the United States or a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada who is a national of a designated Visa Waiver Program country listed in § 217.2(a) of this chapter who requests Form I-68, Canadian Border Boat Landing Permit, pursuant to § 235.1(e) of this chapter, for entry to the United States from Canada as an eligible pleasure boater on a designated body of water, must remit the required fee at the time of application for Form I-68.
[FR Doc. 03-2164 Filed 1-30-03; 8:45 am]