<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by KentownFlorida:
One point that has been missed it that even Citizens of Visa Exampt countries such as Ireland and UK have to be fingerprinted and photographed on arrival if the are traveling on a previousley issued Visa, such as 6 months or Student.</font>
I don't know if you're entirely correct on that one.
I am a Canadian studying in the United States with F-1 status and have never been fingerprinted. I require no visa to enter the United States, and thus am not subject to US-VISIT requirements (as of yet). I have crossed into the USA by air twice since the program came into effect. Friends from European countries covered by the visa-waiver program have reported the same experience. We don't need a visa to enter (just to stay), so we aren't subject to US-VISIT regulations.
The difference comes down to 'visa' and 'status', I believe.
Maybe this isn't the way its supposed to work, but in effect it appears to be.