This week the INS added five more countries to the list required for special registration. The new countries placed in “Group 4” special registration are Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, and Kuwait. The addition of these countries brings the total of countries named for special registration to 25.

Only males born on or before February 24, 1987, who entered the US in nonimmigrant status on or before September 30, 2002, are required to register. Lawful permanent residents are not required to register, nor are people who have been granted asylum. People who have asylum applications pending on or before January 16, 2003 are not required to register, but those with an asylum claim filed after that day will be. Nonimmigrants in the US as diplomats or employees of a foreign government or international nongovernmental organization are not required to register.

Those subject to special registration under this rule must report to a designated INS office between February 24, 2003, and March 28, 2003. They must present their passport, visa and other immigration documents, as well as evidence that they are working or studying in accordance with their nonimmigrant visa. They must also present proof that they are residing in the US. They will be fingerprinted and photographed, and must provide any additional information the INS requests.

Individuals subject to special registration will have a number of important requirements. Each year the person remains in the US, the individual will be required to reregister within 10 days of the anniversary date of the initial registration. Also, if an individual changes one’s address, employment, or educational institution, the person must inform the Service within 10 days of this change on a Form AR-11 SR. Lastly, upon leaving the United States, the individual must appear before a Service officer at a designated port-of-departure and depart from that port on the same day.

On January 16, 2003, the Attorney General authorized a reopening of the special registration period for certain nonimmigrants. The extension allows individuals who failed to register by their previous deadline to fulfill their special registration requirement without penalty. These individuals will be allowed to comply with special registration between January 27, 2003, and February 7, 2003.

The reopening only applies to individuals from countries named for Group 1 or Group 2 special registration. Specifically, special registration has been reopened for:

Group 1: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, and Syria

Group 2:Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Eritrea, Lebanon, Morocco, North Korea, Oman, Qatar, Somalia, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

One of the apparent reasons for the reopening of the special registration period is a critical error that was located on the INS’s website. A notice written in Arabic and posted on the website indicated that individuals must register if they “entered the US legally on or AFTER” September 30, 2002. The notice should have properly read, “on or BEFORE September 30, 2002.”