| Author | Message | ||
     ADA |
I have 2 times failed for fingerprint at the INS office (for purpose of immigration). Both 2 times the machine recorded "poor" and "match warning". I have protected my hand from soap, bleach and rarely touched even water however the result from fingerprint still be poor and not pass. My fingers have never been burned or injuried or anything could result in damage. They look absolutely normal by regular vision. Could you please advise what should I do to improve the prints sothat next time it is "pass"? Normally how long it takes to restore the skin at the fingers? I am badly sorry because the due day for fingerprint is comming very soon. Thanks you very much in advance for your reply. | ||
| Webservant |
VBM, Not to worry... your experience is typical, happens many times daily at US Immigration facilities, and in no way means that you are suspected of being a criminal. Computers do not search large national databases to "identify" persons based on one or two fingers, but a computer can report a potential match that then requires a human fingerprint expert to check the "possible" or "warning" match. Typically in such large systems, 1 in every 1,000 or so persons will have a fingerprint that is similar enough to "watch list" fingerprints of bad persons to trigger a "possible" or "warning" match indicator (which causes Immigration to have you wait for a few minutes while a fingerprint expert checks to see if it really is an identification). Human fingerprint experts sitting at offices in Virginia and/or California quickly inspect such potential "matches" with the goal of responding within ten minutes... and typically they respond in less than three minutes. The matching scores for the system could be "tightened" to produce fewer potential matches, but that would mean that it would then be easier for bad guys to evade detection by distorting their fingerprints (by twisting their fingers, etc., while touching the livescan fingerprint reader). The system works very well, and although it inconveniences 1 of every 1,000 or so foreign visitors for a few extra minutes during Immigration processing, the system also successfully identifies many criminals. At sometime in the future, fast capture fingerprint scanning systems will be able to capture all ten fingerprints in less than 15 seconds at Immigration facilities. That improvement (capturing all ten fingerprints) will increase fingerprint matching accuracy and mean a great reduction (from the current approximately 0.1%) in the number of persons required to wait a few extra minutes while a human fingerprint expert determines whether or not a true match exists. | ||
| VBM |
Originally submitted 12 Sep 05 by VBM via email: I LIVE IN THE US AND HAD TO GO HAVE MY FINGERPRINTS TAKEN FOR IMMIGRATION PURPOSES, AND WHEN THEY TOOK MY RIGHT INDEX FINGER, IR SAID" WARNING-MATCH" THE THING IS THAT I HAVE NEVER BEEN ARRESTED OR COMMITED A CRIME, NEVER EVER, SO, HOW COULD THAT HAPPEN? |
