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Border security strengthened by fingerprint technology
Over half a million sets of fingerprints - equivalent to a set checked every 30 seconds 24 hours a day - have been taken from visa applicants since the roll-out programme began last year, it was announced today as UKvisas published its annual report.
Compulsory fingerprinting is now part of the UK visa application process in just under half of the countries of the world. Through the introduction of this measure, designed to strengthen border control, over 6,000 sets of prints have been quickly and successfully matched to individuals who are of concern.
Fingerprints are taken as part of the visa application process and are then checked against UK Government records to identify if the individual is already known to the UK immigration authorities. Once in the UK the authorities can use the same data to check if someone is eligible to work, or to help reissue travel documents if they are lost or destroyed.
Home Office Minister Liam Byrne said: "New fingerprint visas are fast becoming our first line of defense against illegal immigration. By collecting fingerprint information on foreign nationals coming to the UK in advance of their journey, we are building a new overseas border control which is flushing out the false visa applicants"
Foreign & Commonwealth Office Minister Dr Kim Howells said: "Recording biometric information allows us to fix an individual's identity at the earliest point practicable and track their future dealings with the UK. In the past year, we have started to introduce biometric data collection technology to the visa application process. This is a key part of our objective of strengthening our borders."
There is international interest in the use of biometrics such as fingerprints for a range of purposes including border control. UKvisas is collaborating with a number of European countries in pilots on joint biometric capture. UKvisas biometric implementation is well advanced in comparison with other countries and at the present time probably second only to the USA.
