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March, 2005
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UK plans finger-printing vistors, ID cards to resident visa holders

     London: The British government is seriously considering the option of finger-printing visitors and issuing identity cards to resident visa holders in a bid to maintain both security and an effective control over its visa delivery regime. Welcoming the report of the Committee of Public Accounts,(PAC) in this regard, Mr. Chris Mullin, Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister said that UK was going to maintain a robust and effective visa regime to meet the growing demand for UK visas while meeting the challenges of a changing world. "I welcome the PAC's report. UK Visas has already put in place a number of measures to address the PAC's recommendations. In particular, we are expanding the network of Risk Assessment Units to ensure that risk assessment becomes part of our core business. We have also agreed new PSA (Public Service Agreement) targets with the Treasury to come into effect from April 2005," said Mullin. "Many of the other recommendations will be taken forward in partnership with IND (Immigration and Nationality Directorate) colleagues, and will be reflected in the recently published five year asylum and immigration strategy, which UK Visas played an active part in drafting, " he added. Mullin further went on to say that the "UKvisas is part of the overall picture on immigration control, which will be transformed over the next five years through new technology. "We will fingerprint everyone when they apply for a visa.

     Through the e-Borders programme information on airline passengers will be checked against UK databases of those who present a known immigration or security threat before they board for the UK. All those here for more than three months will need to carry residence permits, which will act as ID cards. These will provide a simple and secure means of verifying identity, helping us tackle illegal working, organised crime, terrorist activity, identity theft, and fraudulent access to public services. The e-Borders technology will also mean that people's departure from the country is recorded to help target enforcement action against those who overstay," he added. UK Visas is the joint Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Home Office unit that manages UK visa operations world-wide. From April 2005, UK Visas will operate under a new PSA target regime. This will allow 15 days to process applications requiring checks or an interview.
-Mar 3, 2005

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