Since 2001, a plethora of measures have been implemented in order to increase the security of Americans and to exclude those who would do us harm, criminal aliens, and perpetrators of fraud from our shores.
NSEERS, a registration program begun in 2002, requires aliens of certain nationalities, countries of birth, and others, at the discretion of Homeland Security, to register at entry and exit from the US. US VISIT fingerprints most nonimmigrant visitors to the US, and checks the prints against various databases. Machine readable passports make fraud and identity theft more difficult. Enhanced security checks at the consulate prior to visa issuance sometimes causes delays, as does PIMS, a system to verify the approval of a petition by USCIS at the consulate. Electronic biometrics, required for many immigration applications within the US, check criminal and security databases. The SEVIS system monitors the entry, stay, and exit of students and exchange visitors. In addition to these measures, many subtle regulatory changes are designed to enhance our security.