May 26, 2003	Monday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 23,1424

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

SAN FRANCISCO, May 25: Pakistan American Democratic Forum (PADF), a leading American Pakistanis organization, has advised the Pakistani students and US work-visa holders not to leave the country without an exit stamp on their passports, otherwise they will be denied re-entry.

Ms Samina Faheem, coordinator of the PADF hotline for those affected by the INS Special Registration, said that this rule applies to all Pakistanis who are required to register under the special registration programme.

According to the INS policy, anyone who went through recently-completed Special Registration programme must provide notice of departure from and re-entry into the United States. The policy states: “Non-immigrants who must follow these special procedures will also have to use specially designated ports when they leave the country and report in person to an immigration officer at the port on their departure date.”

She said a number of Pakistanis had been denied re-entry into US because they failed to get the exit stamp.

She said that travellers should make sure they get an INS exit interview. In certain cases, airports have INS (now called Bureau of Customs and Border Patrol of the Department of Homeland Security) staff present all 24 hours but in many cases, it may mean flying into the port of departure up to a day early to comply with the exit interview requirement.