USA Green Card to be redesigned by the USCIS
The U.S. Citizenship and immigration Services (USCIS) has recently made a proclamation that the Permanent Resident Card which is usually referred to as a “Green Card” has been redesigned. The change has incorporated many new security features.
USCIS has joined hands with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Screening Coordination Office, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Forensic Document Laboratory and worked on the Green Card redesign.
The Green Card redesign has been putforth by the USCIS to dissuade fraudulent practices in immigration. To prevent forgery, obstruct tampering and to accelerate the authentication, the new card incorporates the state-of-the-art technology. The USCIS has begun issuing new Green Cards starting May 11, 2010.
According to the USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas, the new Green Card would contribute in maintaining the integrity of the immigration services. Since the new Green Card is added with new and improved features, it will serve the employers, law enforcement forces, and the immigrants better than before.
One of the Green Card redesign benefits is that the biometrics of the immigrants will be stored by social optical media enabling faster and authentic identification. To make the card difficult to be replicated, new technologies, including holographic images, high resolution micro images, and laser scanned fingerprints have been used.
Further the card has been integrated tighter to make altering the card difficult if stolen. With Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) capability, the card can be read from a distance by the Customs and Border Protection officers and be verified if it matches with the file date. In case, the card is lost, a preprinted return address will facilitate its easy return.
To enable easy recognition, the Permanent Resident Card has been colored green. Upon filing application for renewal or replacement, the U.S. Citizenship and immigration Services will replace the Green Cards of individuals already in circulation.