Biometric data collection for visa applicants

The Government’s five-year Strategy for Asylum and Immigration entitled ‘Controlling our borders: making migration work for Britain’ published on 7 February 2005 announced that UKvisas (now the UK Border Agency) would be collecting biometric data from all visa applicants, irrespective of nationality.  In the forward to the strategy the Prime Minister wrote:

“We will fingerprint visitors who need visas, and those planning longer stays, before they arrive”

All applicants are now routinely required to provide 10 digit finger scans and a digital photograph when applying for a UK visa, with a few exceptions (Heads of State for example).

Why?
We live in a constantly changing world.  More travellers, greater mobility and new security threats mean we must find new ways of working which keep us all secure but which also benefit customers.

Identity theft is a major and growing problem globally.  It helps terrorism and organised crime, and undermines national economies.  To protect the integrity of the visa system and to protect our customers, we require every visa applicant around the world to enrol their fingerprints, and to have a digital photograph taken when they make a visa application.

We are not alone in doing this.  Biometrics are becoming the industry standard for identity management. Increasingly, all passports will have a unique biometric identifier, whether this be finger scans, an iris scan or a digital photograph.  EU countries are also introducing biometrics into their visa application process.

What does it mean for visa applicants?
All visa applicants save for a limited number of exceptions will be required to attend in person to register their biometric data.  Biometrics are collected at the offices of the British mission, commercial partner or in certain cases, the host government.

It will be simple and quick and will not delay your visa application
Enrolment will simply mean presenting fingers on a glass screen, plus having a digital photograph taken; no ink, no mess.  It will take less than five minutes and will not delay the decision on your application.

It will be discreet
We are extremely aware of the need to protect the dignity, privacy and modesty of our applicants; there will be special arrangements for our female applicants where required.

What will you do with the information?
The biometric data will be stored on a central government database in the UK and checked against UK government records. It will be handled in accordance with the UK's strict data protection laws.

What are the benefits to visa applicants?
• It helps protect applicants and their family from identity theft.
• It helps keep visa applicants and their family safe from crime and terrorism   through ensuring that we can make travelling to, and being in the UK more secure.
• Visa applicants won't be accidentally mistaken for another person with the same or similar name.
• In the longer term, applicants’ biometric data will be used to facilitate fast passage through automatic gates of entry at UK ports and airports.