WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Oct. 1, Canadian Border Crossing Cards (CBCCs) expired, leaving landed immigrants finding other forms of identification to present upon entering the U.S.

Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) will begin implementing the legal requirements for the new biometric border crossing cards (BCCs).

Most Canadians and people who share a common nationality with Canadians or British subjects, making temporary business or pleasure visits to the U.S. are not required by existing INS regulations to have visas, border crossing cards (BCCs) or other entry documentation. However landed immigrants must present proper documents for entry to the U.S.

In the past, in lieu of visa and passport, many landed immigrants have presented CBCCs, issued by the Department of State before 1999. As of Oct. 1, 2001 the CBCCs expired because they do not contain biometric identifiers which match the card to the bearer.

CBCC holders will be required to present a valid B-1/B-2 visa, which can be obtained from a United States consulate, and an unexpired passport.

The INS also will continue to admit the limited group of Canadians who have valid multiple-entry waivers of inadmissibility that have been separately documented on an INS-issued BCC (Form I-185). Although the non-biometric Form I-185 itself is invalid on October 1, 2001, IIRIRA did not affect the validity of the multiple-entry waivers. A multiple-entry waiver documented on Form I-194, rather than a BCC, is also acceptable, provided the alien is otherwise admissible.