Pakistanis queue to leave US

Pakistanis queue to leave US

By Emma Simpson BBC correspondent in New York

Hundreds of Pakistanis are seeking asylum in Canada rather than registering with the US under its controversial anti-terrorist laws.

Many Pakistanis prefer to be in Canada

The Special Registration Programme, as it is known, affects all temporary resident adult males from 25 mainly Muslim countries.

The deadline for Pakistanis to register expires on Friday, but many are too afraid to register and are leaving the US instead.

Many have been living illegally in the US for years - for instance, on tourist visas which have long since expired. These include families who, for the most part, have lived quiet, undisturbed lives but who do not have proper residency papers.

At one of the border crossings into Canada, there are now some 800 Pakistanis in makeshift accommodation, waiting for the Canadian Government to let them in.

Deadlines for citizens from a number of other countries have already passed, with more than 100,000 people coming forward.

Since late last year, the US authorities have been interviewing, photographing and fingerprinting men in an attempt to keep better track of who comes in and out of the country.