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WASHINGTON: Old Border Crossing cards issued by The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) to the Mexican citizens will expire on September 30,2001.
The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and the Department of State (DOS) today issued a reminder to the BCCs holders. Holders of the old Border Crossing Cards, Form I-186 or I-586, must replace them with the new "laser visa" card. The new card is both a BCC and a B1/B2 visitor’s visa. Current law requires that all BCCs be replaced by September 30, 2001. The new laser visa is valid for 10 years and is a laminated, credit-card-style document.
Consular staff in Mexico photographs and fingerprint the applicants, adjudicate the cases, then electronically forward the data to INS, which manages the laser visa card production contract. When complete, the cards are returned to Mexico for delivery to the applicant by DOS. The main aim of the program is to avoid disruptions to cross-border travel and trade by replacing all the old Border Crossing Cards by the September 2001 deadline.
Until the new BCC card arrives, applicants will be given temporary evidence that allows the applicant to travel. INS estimates that approximately 5.5 million old cards must be replaced. The posts that are accepting laser visa applications are located in Mexico City, Ciudad Juarez, Guadalajara, Hermosillo, Merida, Matamoros, Monterrey, Nogales, Nuevo Laredo, Tijuana, and at the Tijuana and the Mexicali Temporary Processing Facilities INS and DOS with the support of U.S Ambassador to Mexico are currently implementing a major Mexico-wide public information effort, to make travelers aware of the approaching deadline.
For visa information in Mexico call 01-900-849-3737. More information is available at no charge on the U.S. Embassy Internet homepage at www.usembassy.org.mx.
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