Introducing fingerprint checks at the border

[joebloggs]

From 30 November 2009, the UK Border Agency is introducing fingerprint checks at the border for passengers with biometric UK visas, entry clearances and identity cards for foreign nationals (ICFNs).

On arrival in the United Kingdom, these passengers will have their fingerprints scanned at border control in addition to the normal checks. These fingerprints will then be checked against those the passenger gave when they applied.

The checks will verify that the passenger entering the United Kingdom is the same person who gave their biometrics when they applied for their visa, entry clearance or ICFN. Using fingerprints enables us to do this with greater certainty.

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/si...erprint-checks

[RickyR]

Been done in the USA for a while, makes sense. I've had my retina scanned in a few places upon entry, I think Abu Dhabi was one of them.

[triple5]

sounds like a good idea.

[Dedworth]

sounds like a good idea.

It does sound sensible, but like the new immigration initiatives trumpeted by this failed government is closing the gate after the horse has bolted.

[JimOttley]

Yeah and anyone here think that even the latest fingerprint readers are accurate enough to identify people consitently across continental borders?

The borders don't really matter but this technology is going to throw up so many false negatives (bad matches) that the queues at immigration will be even longer than they are now.

Fingerprint recognition works but I don't use it on my laptop or any other device because it does not work well enough often enough, I hope these new systems at the border are a hell of a lot better!


Jim

[KeithD]

It does sound sensible, but like the new immigration initiatives trumpeted by this failed government is closing the gate after the horse has bolted.

This government is the one who has implemented all the new security checks, new border control agency, etc.....the government before it done ZIP with regard immigration. Short memory.

[Dedworth]

This government is the one who has implemented all the new security checks, new border control agency, etc.....the government before it done ZIP with regard immigration. Short memory.

It's over the last 12 years that this shower has allowed uncontrolled immigration, so called "asylum" seeking and has failed to deport criminals & prisoners etc. It is only recently with an election looming that under the spin of smoke and mirrors it is introducing, in it's eyes, stricter measures.

If immigration had been consistently, properly governed and controlled since 1997 we wouldn't need new security checks, gaudily uniformed UKBA staff etc etc

See this thread

http://filipinaroses.com/showthread.php?t=20627

about how the numbers of bogus "students" has soared since supposedly stricter new rules were introduced 12 months ago. You couldn't make it up

[IainBusby]

It's over the last 12 years that this shower has allowed uncontrolled immigration, so called "asylum" seeking and has failed to deport criminals & prisoners etc. It is only recently with an election looming that under the spin of smoke and mirrors it is introducing, in it's eyes, stricter measures.

If immigration had been consistently, properly governed and controlled since 1997 we wouldn't need new security checks, gaudily uniformed UKBA staff etc etc

See this thread

http://filipinaroses.com/showthread.php?t=20627

about how the numbers of bogus "students" has soared since supposedly stricter new rules were introduced 12 months ago. You couldn't make it up

I don't think Cameron's lot are going to be making any improvements to the immigration situation when they get into government, if anything things are likely to get worse because they'll just make cuts in manpower and resources all round and I don't think the UKBA is likely to be spared.

They may as they have promised to do, introduce their simplistic, headline grabbing, absolute cap on immigrant numbers per year, but the real problem isn't legal immigration it's illegal immigration.

I'm not sure how the members of this forum would feel about an absolute cap on immgrants on an annual basis as Cameron proposes, as it may mean that someone's wife or fiancee will be refused a visa because the limit for that year has already been reached and depending on how the cap figure relates to present legal immigration figures, it may create a backlog of perfectly legitimate people waiting year after year for a visa to be issued.

Iain.

[IainBusby]

about how the numbers of bogus "students" has soared since supposedly stricter new rules were introduced 12 months ago. You couldn't make it up

With regard to the number of bogus students coming to this country, I think that both this government (who have tightened things up a little just recently) and previous governments have been far too lax about what constitutes a bonafide educational establishment.

Until recently I don't think there were any checks on these places at all, and even now, when they have to be registered with the government, it seems that far too many of the "office above a takeaway" establishments have managed to slip through the net. Until this part of the shambles is tackled in a far more ruthless fashion, the problem will persist because these places are at the root of the whole problem.

It shouldn't be too difficult to judge what is a real educational establishment and what is merely a front to get people into the UK on student visas. After all, a proper college would be expected to have full time employess who were lecturers and academics, fully qualified in their field and structured courses through which students could gain recognised qualifications.

I also think that once the whole system has been tightened up, the registered colleges that are left should be made legally obliged to report any student who is not in regular attendance to the home office, with stiff penalties for any college that fails to do so.

Iain.

[RickyR]

I still believe that immigration is not the problem, just a result of a bigger problem. Reduce the benefits to a bare minimum for immigrants, single mothers etc etc. I.e No Sky TV, no takeaways every night, no plasma screen TV and X Boxes. The immigration issues will slow down rapidly.
I won't stop the drain on national resources, but thats a whole different issue....

[jonathan47]

illegals cross whole continents to come here why ? ...because we are seen as soft and this is the land of milk and honey!!!!

proper immigration costs money, and then more money i dont see this government or the next willing to spend any money on this issue !!!

and i mean money spent at the front not a management tier system with jobs for people who have no effect on performance !!!
much like the NHS now there is a drain on resources !!!
why do they not check you are entitiled to treatment before they treat you ask for a passport !!!!

so having a rant

love to all
the forum


jj

[IainBusby]

illegals cross whole continents to come here why ? ...because we are seen as soft and this is the land of milk and honey!!!!

proper immigration costs money, and then more money i dont see this government or the next willing to spend any money on this issue !!!

and i mean money spent at the front not a management tier system with jobs for people who have no effect on performance !!!
much like the NHS now there is a drain on resources !!!
why do they not check you are entitiled to treatment before they treat you ask for a passport !!!!

so having a rant

love to all
the forum


jj

Just as an aside to this it's quite obvious to anyone who seen, as I did, a recent crime program called "Killer in the Family" about a Frenchman who killed his wife here in the UK, that our benefits system is much more generous than the other major countries in Europe ie France, Germany etc. He actually came to live in the UK because he was disabled in some way and learned that he was entitled to far higher benefits here in the UK than he was in his home country France.

It seems we are always prepared to level things up in line with the rest of Europe, but not so keen to level things down.

[joebloggs]

I still believe that immigration is not the problem, just a result of a bigger problem. Reduce the benefits to a bare minimum for immigrants, single mothers etc etc. I.e No Sky TV, no takeaways every night, no plasma screen TV and X Boxes. The immigration issues will slow down rapidly.
I won't stop the drain on national resources, but thats a whole different issue....

which immigrants gets benefits ? , they are not allowed 'recourse to public funds' only those who have at least ILR can claim anything, and if you earned your ILR on a work permit, you paid at least 5yrs of tax and NI so your entitled to it, just like the Europeans who come to work here, but they only have to work 1yr here to be able to claim benefits.

[Dedworth]

which immigrants gets benefits ? ,

So called "Asylum" Seekers straight off the back of a lorry and onto the gravy train

[joebloggs]

So called "Asylum" Seekers straight off the back of a lorry and onto the gravy train

The vast majority of asylum seekers are not allowed to work and rely on state support, which is set at just 70% of income support, those i think who don't claim asylum straight away get less.

[Dedworth]

The vast majority of asylum seekers are not allowed to work and rely on state support, which is set at just 70% of income support, those i think who don't claim asylum straight away get less.

Plus housing, healthcare, education, legal services etc etc etc

[somebody]

Just as an aside to this it's quite obvious to anyone who seen, as I did, a recent crime program called "Killer in the Family" about a Frenchman who killed his wife here in the UK, that our benefits system is much more generous than the other major countries in Europe ie France, Germany etc. He actually came to live in the UK because he was disabled in some way and learned that he was entitled to far higher benefits here in the UK than he was in his home country France.

It seems we are always prepared to level things up in line with the rest of Europe, but not so keen to level things down.

Thats labour for ya Only kidding to realign our benefit system inline with europes would from what I understand, mean some massive policy change which I dont think any of the main parties would dare consider.

[el capitan]

Germany (where I live) has a much lesser problem with immigration, yet has a much more generous benefits system. I think the same is true of the Netherlands and the Scandinavian countries.
But all these countries also have much stronger employment legislation, meaning that companies invest in long term employees rather than having cheap disposable workforce.
Not that there aren't problems, but nowhere near the levels seen in Britain.
I believe that the "immigration problem" is just a political slight of hand, to distract from the real problems, and of course panders to racism.

[Dedworth]

I believe that the "immigration problem" is just a political slight of hand, to distract from the real problems, and of course panders to racism.

I thought Bottler had declared that it was no longer racist to have concerns about immigration but maybe that's because he's worried about the next general election



http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-sto...5875-21818112/

Gordon Brown vows to tighten up immigration rules

People should feel free to talk about immigration without accusations of being racist, Gordon Brown said yesterday.

In a major speech the Prime Minister insisted it was wrong to brand people as bigots for raising fears on the subject.

He said Britain's population would not reach 70 million by 2029 as suggested by official statistics, and launched a review of visa rules and working rights for foreign students.

Mr Brown admitted immigration was often seen as a threat where jobs are scarce and wages are falling. Speaking out after the British National Party won two seats in the European Parliament, he said the issue should never be a taboo left for fringe parties on the right to exploit. In the past Labour politicians have spoken out against people attacking immigration.

[RickyR]

IMO if someone is working here and paying tax, I don't seem them as a problem.