Privacy Impact Assessment of the US Visit Program

On September 14, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued the Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) for the U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT). The PIA indicates the data available in the US-VISIT system, who has access to the data, and the parameters in place to protect the data. The document addresses direct access to US-VISIT--not direct access to SEVIS, as has been mistakenly reported by a few news outlets, though select information is exported from SEVIS into other databases that are available through the US-VISIT system. The PIA lists the FBI, along with the individual bureaus within DHS, as having this direct access to US-VISIT. According to DHS, the PIA for direct SEVIS access will be issued separately.