US has something on offer for 'low-risk' Indian travellers. Here it is

If you are a low risk traveller from India, the US will expedite your clearance. Yes, Washington is rolling out global entry programme, under which clearance of low-risk travellers will be put in fast track.

India is the 11th country that is a part of the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) initiative. Indian Ambassador to the US Navtej Sarna became the first Indian national to enroll in the programme.

Under the programme, low-risk Indian travellers, on landing at select airports, will enter the US through automatic kiosks. Presently, Indians stand in a queue at an immigration office.

At these airports, the members proceed to the Global Entry kiosks, present their machine-readable passport or US permanent resident card, place their fingerprints on the scanner for fingerprint verification and complete a customs declaration.

The kiosk then issues the traveller a transaction receipt and directs him or her to the baggage claim and the exit.

Travellers must be pre-approved for the Global Entry programme. All applicants undergo a rigorous background check and in-person interview before enrolment, the CBP website says.

"CBP is excited to offer our flagship Trusted Traveller programme to Indian citizens," said Kevin McAleenan, Acting Commissioner of US Customs and Border Protection.

"By expanding Global Entry eligibility, CBP is transforming the international arrivals process, making it more secure, efficient and welcoming, for the millions of Indian citizens who visit the United States each year," he said.

Global Entry is currently available at 53 US airports and 15 pre-clearance locations.

It is now available to US citizens, Green Card holders and nationals from Argentina, Colombia, Germany, Mexico, the Netherlands, Panama, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, besides India.