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| Monday, 1 September 2003 |
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by Victor Jayanetti Following the pilot scheme tried in Sri Lanka, Britain is planning to extend the finger print scheme for visitors from several other countries with a record of immigration violations. The scheme in which fingerprints, iris or facial recognition data is contained in a micriochip on visas for visitors, is likely to include countries such as Jamaica and Zimbabwe, where the Government has imposed a visa regime because of widespread abuse of UK immigration and asylum laws. David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, said the plans to make more people applying for visas supply a biometric record of their fingerprints or iris would be a more secure way of confirming a person's identity, especially if he or she had destroyed travel documents. He said: "I am also determined we take advantage of new technology to tighten up visa applications. Biometrics can play a big part in tackling illegal immigration and abuse of our asylum system and by embracing it we can reduce the pull factor to the UK." The Home Office was unable to provide any detail of when the pilot scheme operating for the past two months in Sri Lanka would be extended, to which countries it would apply and the costs of providing the equipment at British missions overseas. The Prime Minister said in February that he wanted to halve the 2001 figure of 92,000 asylum applicants and dependents by September. Whether the target has been met will be known at the end of November. Mr Blunkett said that preventing people travelling to the UK illegally was a key part of the Government's strategy to reduce the number of unfounded asylum applications. Mr Blunkett reiterated his plan to bring in legislation to deal with applicants who destroyed their travel documents and to streamline the asylum appeals process. The plans to use biometric technology for visa applicants came as Mr Blunkett sought in the Court of Appeal to uphold his controversial policy of depriving asylum-seekers of food and shelter unless they claim refugee status immediately on arrival. |
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