In late August 2008, the Department of State published a final rule requiring all applicants, with certain exceptions, to provide a set of 10 fingerprints as part of applications for U.S. nonimmigrant visas. This rule should have no real effect on applicants because the Biometric Visa Program has been introduced gradually over the last 5 years and is in place at all posts. All U.S. visa issuing posts began collecting scanned fingerprints from nonimmigrant visa applicants in October 2004. The fingerprints are compared to fingerprint scans taken at the U.S. port of entry to prevent the use of U.S. visas by impostors or those wanted for more serious offences. In June 2005, the Homeland Security Council decided that the process should transition from two fingerprints to ten fingerprints, which allowed consular officers to verify identity, conduct background checks, and determine whether there is any information that is relevant to the issuance of the visa. The electronic fingerprinting process is done at the visa section located within U.S. consulates and embassies on the date of the applicant's visa interview. The entire fingerprint collection process should takes a couple of minutes or less.