	Introduction

The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks called attention to the fact that the U.S. governmentis unaware of the addresses and whereabouts of many foreign nationals (1) in the United States. (7)
The Attorney General is authorized to prescribe special regulations and formsfor the registration and fingerprinting of certain enumerated groups, including aliens of any classwho are not legal permanent residents (LPRs) of the United States. Under the rule, expanded specialregistration requirements apply to nonimmigrant aliens from designated countries. (20)
Upon arrival in the United States, aliens subject to special registration under the rule are fingerprinted, photographed, and checked against databases of known criminals and terrorists. The original rule, which hassince been amended as described below, required aliens registered at a port of entry to satisfysubsequent 30-day and annual registration requirements. Under the original rule, if these aliensremained in the country for 30 days or longer, they had to report to an immigration office betweenday 30 and day 40 to complete their registration by providing additional documentation ofcompliance with their visas, including proof of residence, employment, and school enrollment asapplicable. Those aliens remaining for more than 1 year had to reaffirm their registrationinformation annually. (21)
On September 11, 2002, NSEERS was implemented at selected ports of entry. It coversnonimmigrants who are citizens or nationals of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, and Syria, as well as othernonimmigrants determined to pose an elevated national security risk as explained above. They were required to report to an immigration office by January 10, 2003, tobe registered, fingerprinted, and photographed. As described below, this annual re-registration requirement was suspended inDecember 2003. A rule proposed by INS on July 26, 2002, would provide notice to aliens of their obligation to submit address notices and the consequences of failing to do so. (37) The rule would amend variousimmigration forms to require aliens applying for immigration benefits to acknowledge havingreceived notice of the following:
the alien must provide a valid current address, including any change of address within 10 days of the change;
the most recent address provided by the alien will be used for all purposes,including the service of a written notice informing the alien of the initiation of removal proceedings(referred to as a "notice to appear"); and
if the alien has changed addresses and failed to provide notification, the alienwill be held responsible for any communications sent to the prior address. 2003 Changes to the Special Registration System

On December 2, 2003, DHS published an interim rule in the Federal Register to amend the NSEERS regulations. The Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2002, as enacted by the 107thCongress, directs the General Accounting Office to conduct a study of the feasibility and utility ofrequiring nonimmigrants in the United States to submit a current address and, where applicable, thename and address of an employer every year. Among its other registration-related provisions, H.R. It did, however, includelanguage requiring the Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary of DHS, to provide theAppropriations Committees by March 1, 2003, with the NSEERS-related documents and materialsdescribed in the Senate amendment.
Since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, many U.S. officials and others have expressed concerns that the U.S. government is unaware of the addresses and whereabouts of many foreignnationals in the country. The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) contains provisions for theregistration of aliens, including the requirement that aliens provide notification of any change ofaddress within 10 days. For many years, however, this address reporting requirement was generallynot enforced.
The INA also authorizes the Attorney General to prescribe special regulations for the registration and fingerprinting of any class of aliens who are not U.S. legal permanent residents(LPRs). The Attorney General has exercised this authority at various times by requiring thatnonimmigrant aliens (legal temporary residents) from designated countries be registered,photographed, and fingerprinted at the port of entry.
A rule, which took effect on September 11, 2002, applies expanded special registration requirements to certain newly arriving nonimmigrants as part of the National Security Entry-ExitRegistration System (NSEERS). NSEERS covers arriving nonimmigrants from designatedcountries, as well as other arriving nonimmigrants who are determined to pose an elevated nationalsecurity risk. Among other requirements, aliens subject to special registration under this rule areregistered, fingerprinted, photographed, and checked against databases of known criminals andterrorists at the port of entry. Under the original rule, which has since been amended, those whoremained for at least 30 days had to report to an immigration office to complete their registration andthose remaining for more than 1 year had to reaffirm their registration information annually. A seriesof Federal Register notices published in late 2002 and early 2003 similarly required certainnonimmigrant males in the United States from designated countries to report to an immigrationoffice to be registered, fingerprinted, and photographed. A subsequent rule, which became effectiveon December 2, 2003, amended the NSEERS regulations. Among other changes, it suspended theautomatic 30-day and annual re-registration requirements.
A proposed rule, published in July 2002, would give notice to aliens, including LPRs, of their obligation to provide the government with a current address, including any change of address within10 days, and the consequences of failing to do so.
Congress has acted on alien registration-related measures in recent years. The 107th Congress enacted the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2002 ( P.L. 107-173 ), whichdirects the General Accounting Office to study the feasibility and utility of requiring nonimmigrantsto submit a current address and, where applicable, the name and address of an employer every year. In the 108th Congress, the FY2003 Consolidated Appropriations Resolution ( P.L. 108-7 ) containslanguage requiring the Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security,to provide Congress with NSEERS-related documents and materials. This report will be updatedas related developments occur.