CBP Announces New US Bridge Visa Foil

A visa is a document issued by the U.S. Department of State that allows a foreign national to travel to the United States for various purposes. The visa is typically required to be presented at the port of entry to the United States and is required for the foreign national to be admitted into the country. The visa is an important document and it is important to understand the new changes and the security features of the visa.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently announced that it has begun issuing a new visa foil with an image of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. The current Lincoln visa foil will soon be replaced with a Bridge visa foil for all nonimmigrant and immigrant visas. Both visa foil designs will remain valid for travel to the United States until their printed expiration dates.

The new design depicts the Golden Gate Bridge and is thus referred to as the “Bridge visa foil”. The Bridge visa foil is expected to have similar security features as the Lincoln visa foil, including security fibers, detailed printing, and biometric details.

The State Department periodically undertakes review of visa foil designs to develop and test new travel documents in its efforts to reduce U.S. immigration fraud. The redesign often takes several years to complete and typically is conducted in response to detected counterfeit attempts. Under the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2002, the U.S. Congress mandated the use of biometrics in U.S. visas so that all foreign nationals must have a machine-readable visa (MRV) that is tamper resistant and includes biometric identifiers. Once the foreign national presents the visa at the Port of Entry, the CBP officers can review the visa document and related biometric details to verify the identity of the foreign national entering the United States. This is an important step in maintaining the security of the United States and preventing fraud and other illegal activities.

In conclusion, the new Bridge visa foil is a new design that is being issued by the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It is important to be aware of the new design and the security features of the visa. The Lincoln visa foil will remain valid until the printed expiration date, so there is no need to worry if you currently hold a Lincoln visa foil. It will still be accepted for travel to the United States.

If you have any questions or concerns about your visa, don’t hesitate to contact our office for assistance. We are here to help you navigate the process and ensure that you have the resources you need for a successful visa application.