United States of America (USA): The system guiding passport stamps upon entry or admission to the USA; when foreign passports are stamped; whether it depends on the country of citizenship or the port or mode of entry into the USA; breakdown of the exact differences between immigrant and non-immigrant information systems; the difference between admission and entry to the USA; whether one can be recorded but not the other (1998-July 2004)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 16 July 2004 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | USA42778.E |
| Reference | 5 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, United States of America (USA): The system guiding passport stamps upon entry or admission to the USA; when foreign passports are stamped; whether it depends on the country of citizenship or the port or mode of entry into the USA; breakdown of the exact differences between immigrant and non-immigrant information systems; the difference between admission and entry to the USA; whether one can be recorded but not the other (1998-July 2004), 16 July 2004, USA42778.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/41501c6e23.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
All foreign nationals (non-United States (US) citizens) who show their passports to an immigration inspector at an airport port-of-entry will have their passport stamped (US 23 June 2004; ibid. 7 July 2004; ibid. n.d.). The same procedure applies at land or sea port-of-entries (ibid.).
According to an immigration inspector at Miami International Airport, inspectors check several integrated databases in order to verify immigrant records (including their legal history) (ibid. 23 June 2004; US 4 Mar. 2004). The Alien Status Verification Index contains data from two systems: the Central Index System (CIS) and the Non Immigrant Information System (NIIS) (Immigration.com 18 Feb. 2004). According to the National Immigration Law Center (NILC), the CIS "contains data on all aliens who have been assigned [Alien- or] A-numbers since 1960" (n.d.). According to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the CIS
... contains personal identification data such as A-File number, date and place of birth, date and port of entry, as well as the location of each official hardcopy paper file known as the "A-file" [or Alien File]. Microfilm records contain naturalization certificates and any supporting documentation prior to April 1, 1956; however, after that date, this type of information is maintained in the "A-file" (4 Mar. 2004).
The NIIS, on the other hand, contains "information on non-immigrants in the US, such as foreign visitors, government personnel, and ship and flight crews" (North Carolina n.d.). Without providing specific information on the data it contains, the USCIS describes the NIIS as providing information on arrivals in and departures from the USA (28 Feb. 2003). A consul at the Embassy of the United States in Ottawa stated that it is difficult to ascertain the exact differences between the immigrant and non-immigrant information systems because data is organized differently by different agencies (8 July 2004).
When asked about the differences between admission and entry to the USA, a customs officer at Miami International Airport indicated that admission refers to the process of being approved by an immigration inspection officer who authorizes admission, whereas entry refers to the physical entrance by a person onto American soil (US 23 June 2004; ibid. n.d.). A consul at the Embassy of the United States stated that "admission means that a person has been legally admitted to enter the USA" (8 July 2004). It is technically possible for a person to enter the USA without being admitted (ibid.; US 7 July 2004). For instance, if a person's passport had been stamped twice although they had entered the USA three times, either the person entered illegally or there was a clerical error (ibid.; Embassy 8 July 2004). However, a consul at the Embassy of the United States indicated that there was an extremely small chance of a clerical error since entrance records are generally very well kept (ibid.). The consul added that she had never come across such an error in the numerous years she had dealt with issues of immigration to the USA (ibid.).
An immigration inspector discounted the possibility that one could be admitted to the USA without entering; i.e., once one leaves the immigration booth at a US airport after having been admitted, one is considered to have entered the United States (US 7 July 2004). The immigration inspector added that there are no separate lists of those who are admitted and those who enter the USA (ibid.). Although on a land border it could be technically possible to not enter the USA after being formally admitted (by turning away from the border), the inspector said that generally once one is admitted, one is considered to have entered the USA (ibid.).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection.
References
Embassy of the United States of America in Ottawa. 8 July 2004. Telephone interview with consul.
Immigration.com. 18 February 2004. "ASVI." National Immigration Law Center (NILC). n.d. "INS Data: The Track Record." North Carolina. n.d. Department of Health and Human Services. (MA-2504/3330). "Glossary of BCIS Terms." United States (US). 7 July 2004. Department of Homeland Security. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Telephone interview with immigration inspector.
_____. 23 June 2004. Department of Homeland Security. Miami International Airport. Telephone interview with customs officer.
_____. 4 March 2004. Department of Homeland Security. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). "Justice/INS-001A." _____. 28 February 2003. Department of Homeland Security. "Department of Justice/US Immigration and Naturalization Service." _____. n.d. Department of Homeland Security. CBP. "Admission into United States."