HOME OFFICE News
Release (133/2007) issued by The Government News Network on 8 August 2007
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.
Notes to Editor:
1. By April 2008 UKvisas will have completed
the global roll-out of biometric data collection technology to all
of our overseas missions in 135 countries and to 111 visa
application centres in 53 countries. The roll-out programme, which
began in September 2006, will cover around three quarters of the
world's population once finished. This means collecting
biometric data (ten fingerscans and a digital photograph) from all
visa applicants, irrespective of nationality, wherever in the
world they apply.
2. Fixing a person's identity through biometrics helps to:
- prevent unlawful travel to the UK;
- reduce abuse of the
UK's immigration and asylum systems;
- combat visa
fraud;
- reduce unfounded asylum claims;
- improve the
smooth running of the visa service; and
- protect an
individual's identity.
3. A copy of the annual report will be available from 9.30am on
Wednesday 8 August at http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk
4. Top statistics on biometrics:
* Biometric data collected from all visa applicants in 93
countries
* Over 1/2 million sets of prints had been collected
as at 9 July 2007
* Over 6,000 of these prints had matched
prints held in the UK
* Now collecting at a rate of 100,000
prints per month
5. Three case studies of recent UKvisas successes
Sudan: A Sudanese businessman applied for a visa to come to the
UK. He had a history of world travel outside the EEA, sufficient
funds and a new wife. He claimed he wanted to go to the UK for
shopping and tourism. He seemed to be well established outside the
UK and likely to be issued with a visa. He declared that he had
not travelled to the UK before or ever been deported.
A
biometric check showed a failed asylum claim in 2004 in a
different identity. The visa application was refused.
Albania: An Albanian applicant applied for a visit visa to the
UK, claiming never to have been to the UK before. Biometrics
revealed that he had previously claimed asylum in the UK under a
different identity, date of birth and nationality. The visa
application was refused.
Amsterdam: An applicant who was refused a visa in Amsterdam later
claimed asylum in the UK. The routine biometric check for asylum
applicants produced a match against the data collected in
Amsterdam. The applicant had sought to claim asylum under a
different identity (supported by a travel document) from the one
used as a resident in the Netherlands. The applicant was arrested
in the UK, prosecuted for deception, and sentenced to eight months
imprisonment and deportation on completion of sentence.