The Department of Homeland Security’s immigration agency extended the deadline for certain males with temporary visas to get interviewed, fingerprinted and photographed.

Attorney General John Ashcroft said additional time for these individuals to register is in the best interest of the United States, according to a notice in the Federal Register.

The Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services – formerly Immigration and Naturalization Service – will continue the same services despite the transition into the new Department of Homeland Security.

Students and other males with temporary visas from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia must register on or before March 21. Those from Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan and Kuwait must register on or before April 25.

Special registration started last fall to increase monitoring of certain foreign nationals already in the United States. The regulations affect individuals from 25 countries.