TheHome Officehas awarded a £2.3m
contract to a biometric technology provider as part of its new visa
system.
The department has bought 1,385 livescan Guardian fingerprint
scanning systems from American firm Cross Match Technologies.
The scanners will be installed by the end of this year in UK
overseas missions, including embassies and consulates, and will be
delivered in partnership with Steria UK.
The UK is the
first EU country to collect biometric data in the form of ten
fingerprints and a digital photo from every visa applicant.
Fingerprints taken as part of the visa application process are
checked against UK Government records to see if the individual is
already known to the Border and Immigration Agency. So far, the
technology has helped the Home Office detect 8,000 "individuals of
concern".
Andrew Pestell, head of procurement for UK visas, said, "The
introduction of
biometric visas is a key part of our contribution to the Border
and Immigration Agency's strategic objective to strengthen our
borders. The recording of biometric information through our new
fingerprint readers allows us to fix an individual's identity at
the earliest point practicable, so that only those with permission
can travel to the UK."