borders, immigration and identity action plan...borders, immigration and identity action plan using...

Borders, Immigration andIdentity Action Plan

Using the National IdentityScheme to strengthen ourborders and enforcecompliance within the UK

Home Office December 2006

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Contents

Foreword by the Home Secretary and the Minister for Nationality, 2Citizenship and Immigration

Chapter 1: Responding to change 4

Chapter 2: An integrated secure border for the 21st century 6

Chapter 3: Building a robust and secure system 10

Chapter 4: Making it happen 16

Annex: Building the system year on year: summary milestones 18

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In July 2006 we launched a programme of radical change to make our immigration system fit for the future.This transformation is founded on four new strategic objectives.

� Strengthen our borders; use tougher checks abroad so that only those with permission can travel to theUK; and ensure that we know who leaves so that we can take action against those who break the rules.

� Fast-track asylum decisions, remove those whose claims fail and integrate those who need our protection.� Ensure and enforce compliance with our immigration laws, removing the most harmful people first

and denying the privileges of Britain to those here illegally.� Boost Britain’s economy by bringing the right skills here from around the world, and ensuring that this

country is easy to visit legally.

Managing identity is fundamental to achieving these objectives. The Strategic Action Plan for the National

Identity Scheme sets out how we will deliver the benefits of a secure identity management system for theUnited Kingdom as a whole. This document explains how we will use biometric technology and identity management to help us deliver the transformation we need in our immigration system.

In the coming months, we will publish detailed strategies on how we will strengthen the UK’s borders, ensureand enforce compliance with our immigration laws, and work with our international partners to managemigration more effectively. The creation of an identity management infrastructure will play a mission-criticalrole throughout.

Immigration and identityWe will put in place an effective approach to managing the identity of foreign nationals to help secure ourborders, manage migration, cut illegal working and shut down fraudulent access to benefits and services. Betterways of identifying people will help us to facilitate travel for those we want to welcome to the UK. They willalso help us to remove those not entitled to be here.

Biometric technology now means that we can link people to a unique identity. We can check this againstother records that can tell us, for example, if someone poses a security risk, has previously committed crimesin the UK, or has tried to enter the country under false pretences. Combining this with intelligence and riskassessment means that our border control and enforcement officers can target their activity to much greatereffect, while allowing legitimate passengers easier passage. And the progressive introduction of electronicborder controls means that we can increasingly track movements across our borders and, ultimately, countpeople in and out.

No system can ever be absolutely watertight. We will need to build it step by step, and we will needother countries to play their part, for example by ensuring that the passports and visas they issue are secure.The UK will press hard in the EU for increased biometric security in travel documents.

This document sets out what we plan to do and when.

John Reid MP Liam Byrne MP

Foreword by the Home Secretary and the Minister forNationality, Citizenship and Immigration


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Foreword

From 2008, we will:

� screen and store biometric ID for everyone from the 169 nationalities outside the European Economic Area(EEA) applying to work, study or stay in the UK for more than six months;

� also require biometric ID for people from 108 nationalities applying to visit the UK, including for shorterperiods;

� target a network of border security advisers on high-risk ports overseas; � target electronic background checks on 30 million people, start checking fingerprints at the front line and,

increasingly from 2009, count visitors in as they land and count them out as they leave; � roll out biometric ID progressively to foreign nationals from outside the EEA who are already in the UK

and reapply to stay here, boost identity checking services for employers and other government agencies, andbegin to issue a National Insurance Number only when a biometric identity has been established.

This will mean:

� people we are concerned about will be stopped from coming here before they travel, as we pre-screenvisa applicants, take their biometrics and strengthen checks before departure on whether people will beallowed to enter the UK;

� our border controls will be much tougher, as electronic readers vet people for authority to travel beforethey arrive and increasingly count people in and out of the country;

� illegal working will become more difficult, as we require foreign nationals here for work or study to havebiometric identity documents, and we provide an identity checking service for government agencies andemployers so that they can check someone’s identity and entitlements swiftly and securely against centrallyregistered information;

� the benefits system will be protected from abuse, by sharing information from the Immigration andNationality Directorate’s biometric and border tracking systems with other agencies, so that they can usethis to check entitlement, detect multiple applications and shut down any access to benefits when peopleleave the country;

� people who commit offences or abuse our immigration laws will be easier to detect, detain anddeport from the UK, as we progressively link biometric and biographical data held in different parts of thecriminal justice and immigration systems, so that we can establish a single identity for such people, trackthem individually and securely through our systems, and deport them.

Between now and 2009 we will put the key elements of this system in place, building progressively to arobust, secure, risk-based system of identity management.

John Reid MP Liam Byrne MPHome Secretary Minister for Nationality,

Citizenship and Immigration


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Chapter 1:Responding to change

1.1 Today’s Britain is one of the most prosperousand open nations in a world that has changedfundamentally over the past two decades. Theworld is more mobile than ever before withmore people able to travel internationally thanever. Capital and information can cross nationalboundaries instantly. The UK is a central part ofthe global economy. Already, over 100 millionentries are made through UK ports every year,including over 30 million by foreign nationals.When the new Terminal 5 is fully up andrunning, around 90 million passengers willpass through Heathrow airport every year.Over the next 20 years, global mobilitywill almost certainly accelerate.

1.2 These changes offer great benefits to the UK.People who come here legally to work not onlysupplement vital public services, such as theNational Health Service, but also contributesignificantly to the gross domestic product.These developments also bring challenges.As with other prosperous and open nations, ourcountry is attractive to people seeking economicand social stability. We face threats fromidentity fraud, illegal immigration, organisedand international crime and global terrorism.We have put in place measures to respond tothem, and will continue to do so as they evolve.

1.3 Our system of immigration control hashistorically been built on paper documents,visual checks and the judgement ofimmigration officials as to whether documentsare genuine, the person is who they say they are,and whether they meet well-defined legalrequirements to enter or stay in the UK. Overthe last few years, we have also introducedtechnology to support decision-making, createalert systems, and store and check asylumseekers’ fingerprints. But as patterns ofmigration change and passenger volumesgrow, we need to transform our systems, andthe way we work with international partners,to match them.

1.4 Recent advances in technology now offer us theopportunity to create a single UK identitysystem, starting overseas, continuing at ourborders and then extending within the UK.These advances mean that we will be able tocheck biometrics against a range of records heldacross government, and increasingly againstdata shared by international partners overseas.


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Chapter 1:Responding to change

� Overseas: our national identity system willlet us exploit biometric technology to linksomeone to a unique identity through theirfingerprints before we give them permissionto travel, check previous history in theUK, and identify the level of threat theymay pose. Someone whom we have identifiedas not entitled to enter or as a threat to oursecurity will not be able to assume anotheridentity to evade our checks.

� At our borders: immigration officerstasked with securing our borders will be ableto exploit our national identity system tolock down a traveller’s identity and checkgovernment and security databases to assessthreats posed by an individual during theirjourney and when they arrive at our bordercontrol, while legitimate travellers can passthrough our controls more easily.

� In the UK: our national identity systemwill help us identify people once they arehere and ensure that they comply with ourlaws. Biometric ID and a range of verificationservices will help businesses and sponsorscheck entitlement to work, study or use thefinancial services system. Police, prison andimmigration officials and other enforcementagencies will be able to verify someone’sidentity against previously recordedbiometrics, and use this to help detectabuse, ensure we detain the right peopleand deport them.

1.5 The next chapter explains how we plan to bringtogether our systems to create an infrastructurefor managing the identity of foreign nationalswho come here or stay here; to ensure that,while we continue to welcome legitimatevisitors, people we do not want here cannotenter our country, work, claim benefits orotherwise abuse our system.


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An integrated system2.1 We will create a single national identity

system to establish the identity of foreignnationals coming to the UK, starting overseas,continuing at our borders and then within theUK. Between now and 2009 we will put inplace the key elements of this system, buildingprogressively to deliver a robust, secure, risk-based system of identity management aroundour border. We will transform immigrationcontrols, bringing together plans for identitycards and electronic border controls, combiningbiometrics, information and risk assessment toeffectively create a triple ring of border securityfor the UK: overseas, at the border and inthe UK.

What will the system look like?2.2 Linking our systems will ensure that

information gathered in one place can be sharedand used to inform decision-making elsewhere.For example, biometric information capturedfrom a visa applicant can be used at the borderor within the UK to check that person’sidentity and status, and take action accordingly,making it much harder for people to evade ourcontrols. Figure 1 shows how this will work:the different parts of the system are describedin more detail in Chapter 3.

Building methodically2.3 Our border and immigration system is far too

significant to take big risks with new ways ofworking. So we will deploy proven technologyand practical expertise, building on acomprehensive series of field trials.

� Biometrics – fingerprints, iris and facialdata – are now well established as the mostsecure way of fixing an individual to a uniqueidentity.

� Information systems now allow us tobring together and analyse large volumesof biographical information in our databasesand case management systems.

� Modern intelligence and risk assessmenttechniques mean we can assess different levelsof risk and identify loopholes so that we cantarget immigration officers’ time tomaximum effect.

2.4 We have already comprehensively tested thetechnology we need to do this.

� Biometric ID visas allow us to record andcheck applicants’ fingerprints. These are nowoperating in 37 entry clearance posts overseas.Tests have already identified over 1,500 peoplewho have previously claimed asylum or beenfingerprinted for other immigration purposes,and were trying to return to the UK.

Chapter 2:An integrated secure border for the 21st century

HO IssuingCentre

UK BorderControl Centre

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IssuingPost

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Biometric ID visas issued overseasAll visas replaced by biometric ID visas by 2008. Biometrics vetted and stored in the UK. Those ineligible will be refused.

Departure from overseasGlobal network of border security advisers work with carriers to monitor ID at check in and carry out spot checks on high risk routes.

Carrier sends details of passengers to UK border control centre before departure for further electronic background checks. If necessary UK border control refuses permission to travel.

Arrival at the UK borderElectronic readers check people at UK border control, counting people in.

Working in the UKBiometric ID issued to foreign nationals from outside the EEA who are in the UK and apply to stay here.

Employers and sponsors check ID, backed upby a new range of identity checking services.

Access to UK benefits systemNew identity checking services help British agencies detect ID fraud and multiple applications.

Exit from the UKElectronic readers count people out at border control.

Access to benefits shut down when people leave.

Figure 1: How the system will work in future


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� Project Semaphore lets us check the namesof people travelling on certain routes againstborder agency and police databases so that wecan prevent people entering the UK.Semaphore has already issued over 6,000alerts, resulting in 620 arrests and otherinterventions for the Immigration Service,police and HM Revenue and Customs,making a significant contribution to the fightagainst crime at the border and beyond.

� e-Passports, or biometric passports, are nowissued to all applicants who qualify for aBritish passport, and are being progressivelyintroduced by other countries. From 2007,immigration officers on front-line bordercontrols will be able to read information onthe chip, including a facial image, andcompare it with the holder’s photograph,information in the document and the personpresenting it. Access control features in thepassport will mean they can also check thatthe document has been issued by a trustedsource and that the chip has not beentampered with. Work has already begun ondeveloping the next generation of e-passportsto add fingerprints to the chip.

� The Iris Recognition Immigration System(IRIS) is also being trialled as a quick,convenient and secure way for registeredtravellers to clear immigration. The system isaimed at regular travellers including Britishcitizens and foreign nationals who aretemporarily or permanently resident in theUK. Enrolled passengers can enter the UKthrough an automated immigration controlbarrier incorporating an iris recognitioncamera. So far around 50,000 people haveenrolled onto the system, with over 150,000crossings since the gates opened in early 2006.

� Application Registration Cards (ARCs)have been issued to asylum applicants onarrival in the UK since 2002. These containa chip which holds biometric fingerprint andfacial data for the individual, so that checkscan be made on any previous applications forasylum in the UK under different identities.The ARC is the main document checked

when asylum seekers collect benefits, and hasbeen pivotal in reducing fraudulent benefitpayments. The ARC also carries details ofthe individual’s employment status, whichenables employers to check the status of theapplicant before offering them a job.

� Mobile biometric QQuuiicckkCChheecckk readersnow allow immigration officers to makeon-the-spot identity checks where theysuspect abuse. These readers can checkfingerprints against nearly a million recordsalready stored on our biometric database.We also record fingerprints of those we comeacross leaving the country through mobileexit controls and add these to the database.If people have overstayed, or otherwisebroken our immigration rules, storing theirbiometrics means that we can link them totheir previous history and refuse them entryto the UK in future, even if they give a falsename. Being able to check asylum seekers’fingerprints with other countries, for examplethrough the European Union fingerprintdatabase EURODAC, has had a major impacton our ability to remove asylum seekers whohave previously claimed asylum in otherEuropean states.

Leading the way2.5 These developments already put us at the

leading edge in using technology to manageimmigration. But we are not alone: othercountries are developing such systems and

Enforcement officers using fingerprint readers


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we are working closely with them to shareexperience as they do so.

� The Netherlands and the United States areoperating automated clearance systems forregistered travellers.

� The US visa waiver programme alreadyrequires facial biometrics in passports forcountries that are not subject to visaarrangements.

� The miSenseplus trial, now under waybetween BAA, Cathay Pacific, EmiratesAirlines and IND, is testing an automated,secure travel scheme for trusted travellersbetween Heathrow, Hong Kong and Dubai.

2.6 The UK will continue to take a leading rolein developing the use of biometrics andinformation technology to secure our borders,working with other Governments to increasesecurity around the world.

Making a difference: transformingborder and immigration control2.7 This is not just about new systems and

processes. Over time, these changes willfundamentally transform the way we approachborder and immigration control.

People we are concerned about will be stoppedfrom coming here before they travel2.8 Registering the biometrics of people who want

to visit the UK lets us vet visa applicants forprevious immigration or criminal history in theUK, and create a secure record on our databases.For instance, a failed asylum seeker removedfrom the UK may subsequently apply for avisa overseas using a different name. Havingcollected biometric information prior to theirremoval, we will know that the person is noteligible for a visa and can refuse them. Checkson criminal history will mean that we can refuseentry to people who have previously committedcrimes in the UK.

Our border controls will be much tougher2.9 Once an individual is locked to a single identity,

we can conduct extensive background checksagainst the name using government and otherdatabases. We can do this before individualscheck in, using Advance Passenger Informationto target passengers of interest, while others,including British Citizens and other EEAnationals with secure documents, can be clearedquickly, including through supervised automatedbarriers at larger ports.

Illegal working will be more difficult2.10 Once here, biometric ID will mean government

agencies and employers within the UK will beable to check someone’s identity and entitlementsswiftly and securely through new identitychecking services. Currently employers checkentitlement to work by looking at one or moreof a range of documents. Using new identitychecking systems, employers can ask us to verifysomeone’s entitlement to work in cases of doubt.The increasing number of biometric records willalso make it easier to detect illegal working. Forexample, if someone has previously been refuseda visa and we find them working in this country,enforcement officers will be able to check theirbiometrics and immigration history to identifythem and use this to help remove them.

Joan Ryan, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Nationality,Citizenship and Immigration, using biometricfingerprinting equipment


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The benefits system will be protected from abuse2.11 Benefit fraud will be easier to detect and

prevent. Tighter identity requirements andbetter checking services will make it harder forpeople to abuse the system. Biometric ID canbe checked against centrally held records, whichwill make it harder to use a false identity ormake repeated claims successfully. Sharing dataabout identity between government serviceswill make it easier to check eligibility anddetect multiple applications and duplicatedrecords. We can use information from exitsystems to shut down any access to benefits andservices when people leave the country.

2.12 There will be a number of ways ofauthenticating and verifying identity,depending on the importance of the check.

� Visual check: checking whether thephotograph on the front of the card is thatof the person presenting it.

� Card authentication: checking whether it isa genuine, unaltered card, using informationheld on the chip on the card.

� PIN check: if a higher level of proof isneeded, the applicant might be asked toenter a Personal Identification Number (PIN)that only they should know.

� Verification online or over the telephone:if an applicant wants to prove their identityto someone on the telephone or internet, theycan do this by supplying their card detailsand possibly some ‘shared secret’ information,like banking services use today. Small hand-held devices to support this are cheaplyavailable. Using one of these, the chip canprovide a temporary code which confirmsthat the card is the one being used and thatthe PIN has been entered correctly.

� Biometric check: if a still higher level ofproof is needed, applicants can be asked topresent a fingerprint to be checked againstthose given when they enrolled for the card.

People who commit offences or abuse ourwelcome will be easier to detect, detain andremove from the UK2.13 Police, prison and immigration officials and

other enforcement agencies will be able to checksomeone’s identity more easily, using biometricreaders. Biometrics recorded previously willmake it easier to redocument and remove peoplewho do not have their own travel documents.Above all, being able to track peopleindividually and securely through our systems,particularly through the criminal justice andimmigration systems, will make it easier todetect, detain and deport people who should notbe here. And the new resources we haveannounced to boost our enforcement force willmean that we will have the additional capabilitywe need to make this happen.


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3.1 To deliver the system, we will need to put inplace a number of building blocks, designed tostrengthen our borders and to ensure andenforce compliance with our immigration rules.These build on foundations we have already putin place.

People we are concerned about willbe stopped from coming here beforethey travelPre-screening and storing biometrics ofvisa applicants3.2 Anyone from outside the 28 EEA nations goes

through checks before we give them permissionto come to the UK for work, study or to stay forlonger than six months. In addition, peoplefrom 108 nations – covering around threequarters of the world’s population – go throughthe same checks, even if they are just coming tovisit. In 2005 474,000 people were refusedpermission – 19 per cent of visa applications.From now on we will insist that we vet and storebiometric records for all such visitors. We willcheck their fingerprints against police andimmigration databases, and also check forprevious immigration and criminal history inthe UK. Where there are grounds for concern,we will refuse permission to come.

Checking credentials before departure3.3 Not everyone will be asked to go through this

process. Those people we assess as presenting alow or negligible immigration risk – such aspeople from European Economic Area (EEA)nations and visitors from other low riskOrganisation for Economic Co-operation andDevelopment countries – are exempt. But wewill bring forward a review of thesearrangements in spring 2007. Today, we checkpassports and names against watchlists whenpeople arrive in the UK. In the future we wantto do more checks abroad – before people get ona plane, train or boat – so we can prevent peoplefrom travelling who would be refused entryupon arrival. Juxtaposed controls – UK bordercontrols operating out in France and Belgium –

� By 2008 we will have in place biometric IDrequirements for everyone outside the EEAcoming to work, study or stay for more thansix months, plus anyone coming to visit fromthe 108 visa nations.

� We will expand the reach of the biometric visasystem where necessary, for example if we findthat particular routes into the UK are beingabused.

Chapter 3:Building a robust and secure system

Passengerdetails

Refuse permission forunwelcome passengers

to travel

Check and updatehistory of travel

Alertagencies

Identify knownoffenders

Target highrisk travellersand routes

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Biometric ID visas issued overseasAll visas replaced by biometric ID visas by 2008. Biometrics vetted and stored in the UK. Those ineligible will be refused.

Departure from overseasGlobal network of border security advisers work with carriers to monitor ID at check in and carry out spot checks on high risk routes.

Carrier sends details of passengers to UK border control centre before departure for further electronic background checks. If necessary UK border control refuses permission to travel.

Vet people inadvance of travel

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Figure 2: People we are concerned about will be stopped from coming here before they travel


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have proved their worth in cutting illegalmigration through the channel ports. We wantto extend the concept of exporting our bordersaround the world.

3.4 Once we have established a traveller’s identity,we will undertake extensive background checksagainst government and security databasesbefore the passenger starts their journey.At check in, a global network of border securityadvisers will help airlines check that passengershave the correct ID to travel to the UK and stopthose who do not from boarding. Around 50officers are already in place: we will continueto build and use this network, throughinternational collaboration, to target high-riskports, responding to threats as they evolve.Our border control centre will then:

� deny the passenger permission to travel ifthey would not be allowed into the UK onarrival; or

� target the passenger for further checks orinterview upon landing in Britain; or

� clear legitimate travellers for trouble-freepassage on arrival in the UK.

Our border controls will be much tougherNew systems for checking identity at our borders3.5 In the UK, we will strengthen biometric and

other checks, harnessing the national identitysystem to lower the risk of unauthorised entryinto the country.

3.6 At the border control in the UK, three changeswill toughen our controls:

� Registered travellers who are vettedand cleared will be allowed to use automatedscreening gates, speeding their passagethrough the border. BAA figures suggestthat around one in ten passengers atHeathrow is a frequent traveller, makingmore than ten flights a year. Use of thisscheme will be robustly monitored.

� We will progressively introduce risk profilingfor all passengers and those identified asineligible for admission will be prevented fromtravelling.

� We will establish a global network of bordersecurity advisers to work with carriers todetect identity fraud and carry out spot checkson routes we consider high risk.

Vet people inadvance of travel

3Arrival at the UK borderElectronic readers check people at UK border control, counting people in.

OverseasPort

IssuingPost

Travel history updatedto confirm traveller has

arrived in the UK

Target high risktravellers and routes

Check oftraveller’s identityand entitlement

Automatedclearance for

genuine travellers

UKvisas

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Figure 3: Our border controls will be much tougher


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� Background checks of passengers usingpassenger information supplied by carrierswill let UK border controls profile travellersbefore they arrive, allowing targeting onarrival in the UK.

� Biometric readers linked to the NationalIdentity Scheme will let border control staffcheck travellers biometrically; and oursystems will count people in as they arriveand out as they depart.

Illegal working and abuse of our benefitssystem will become more difficult3.7 Over 30 million foreign nationals crossed our

borders in 2005, mostly for short visits. About450,000 foreign nationals from outside theEEA came for study or employment. This

brings significant benefits. Overseas visitorsspent around £14 billion in the UK in 2005.Students contribute an estimated £5 billion tothe UK economy each year. Workers bringlabour and skills to Britain and contribute tosome of our core economic objectives aroundgrowth, productivity and stability, as well asaround 10 per cent to our gross domesticproduct.

3.8 Most people comply with the conditions oftheir stay and leave at the end of it. Some do not.They fall into one of four categories: ‘carelessness’,‘deliberate non-compliance’, ‘criminality’, or‘organised immigration crime’. We will publishour enforcement strategy, setting out how we willtackle illegal immigration and abuse of our rules,early in 2007. But a national identity system willbe mission-critical, particularly in tackling illegalworking and protecting our benefit systemfrom abuse.

Tackling illegal working3.9 Illegal working allows unscrupulous employers

to exploit vulnerable people seeking a betterlife. Illegal migrant workers fill unpopular low-paid jobs which are hard to fill, in sectors thatfind it hard to recruit – such as hospitality,

� From 2009, we will progressively introducenew electronic systems to vet people beforethey arrive at our borders, count them in asthey land and count them out as they leave.

� We will underpin this with new arrangementsfor pooling intelligence, building on currentarrangements for sharing information betweenimmigration, law enforcement and securityagencies.

OverseasPort

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4Working in the UKBiometric ID issued to foreign nationals from outside the EEA who are in the UK and apply to stay here.

Employers and sponsors check ID, backed upby a new range of identity checking services.

Access to UK benefits systemNew identity checking services help British agencies detect ID fraud and multiple applications.

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Issuebiometric ID

Identitycheckingservices

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Figure 4: Illegal working and abuse of our benefits system will become more difficult


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agriculture, construction, transport, social care.But this also means that potentially largenumbers of people are in the UK unknown tothe authorities, working in the shadow economyand sapping public confidence in the widerintegrity of our border controls.

3.10 It is a criminal offence to employ a person whodoes not have valid permission to work in theUK. We can now compel employers to makeregular checks of people’s immigration status.This will help us identify illegal workers andoverstayers. Under our proposals for the Points-Based System, educational establishments willalso have to make more checks in order to beallowed to sponsor international students.

3.11 But it is not always easy for employers andsponsors to check the multiple documents thatforeign nationals can currently use to establishentitlement, and to be sure a person is who theysay they are. We will therefore phase in biometricID cards for foreign nationals, exploiting ourgrowing biometric identity database. This secureID will link foreign nationals to a biometricidentity, stored in our national identity system,and conforming to technical standards agreedacross the European Union.

3.12 This card will enable employers to help us tocheck identity and entitlement more easily,whether by a visual check, confirming identitythrough identity checking services, or accessingdata on the chip directly. It will help theindividual card holder to prove they are who theysay they are and that they are entitled to work orstudy. It will also mean that enforcement officerswill be able to check the identity, and entitlementto work, of people they find on enforcementoperations, including eliminating compliantworkers more readily from their enquiries.

3.13 To underpin this, we will offer employers a newidentity checking service. From April 2007, atthe employer’s request and with the consent ofthe potential employee, we will run a check toconfirm whether an individual has permission to

work. We are also developing, jointly with theIdentity and Passport Service (IPS), plans to offera combined identity and right to work check forforeign nationals. This will be an early steptowards creation of the new IPS-led identitychecking service supporting the NationalIdentity Scheme.

3.14 We will begin to introduce this card from 2008,for foreign nationals who are already in the UKand reapply to stay here, working with businessesand colleges to trial it in areas where it will beparticularly useful to them, for example in thefinancial, care and educational sectors. To providefurther help to employers, from 2008, we willalso start to make biometric ID part of issuing aNational Insurance Number and, whereappropriate, make this compulsory before anumber is issued.

Protecting the benefits system from abuse3.15 The Government takes benefit fraud extremely

seriously. Identity cards will play a majorpart in tackling it: helping prevent the useof fraudulent documents to obtain benefits

� From 2008, we will make biometric IDcompulsory for all foreign nationals cominghere for work, study, or to stay for longer thansix months, unless they are from the EEA, andwill begin to issue a National InsuranceNumber only when a biometric identity hasbeen established.

� From 2008, we will begin to introducebiometric ID cards for foreign nationals fromoutside the EEA who are already in the UKand reapply to stay here, working withemployers to trial these in areas where thiswill be most useful to them.

� From April 2007, we will offer employers anew identity checking service, developing thisthrough a joint venture with IPS.

� We will ensure that we continue to welcomethe many legitimate migrants who make acontribution to Britain’s economy, and makeit easier for their identity to be confirmed.


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as well as stopping other forms of abuse suchas identity fraud and multiple applications.Biometric Application Registration Cards forasylum seekers have been pivotal in cuttingfraudulent payments. The increasing use ofbiometrics for other foreign nationals in theUK will help reduce abuse further.

3.16 Tightening ID requirements and sharing dataabout identity between government serviceswill make it easier to check entitlement, andto detect multiple applications and duplicatedrecords. We plan that the new identity checkingservice, to be developed as a joint venture withIPS, will provide services to other governmentagencies and sectors: for example helpingbenefits offices and local authorities to checkidentity and crack down on false benefit claims.

People who commit offences or abuseour immigration laws will be easier todetect, detain and deport from the UK3.17 Biometric ID will help detect those people who

are in the country illegally or who are abusingthe system through identity fraud. We canincreasingly bring together and analyse largevolumes of biometric and biographicalinformation in our databases and caseworkingsystems, so we can check someone’s entitlementto be here, and whether or not they might posea risk of harm or abuse. The new systems willalso make it simpler to link the identity ofpeople registered as offenders with records of

foreign nationals on UK or other internationaldatabases such as EURODAC. We will bring ina secure way of tracking people through oursystems and link these to identifiers used withinthe criminal justice system.

3.18 We are boosting our capacity to tackleimmigration crime by doubling enforcement andcompliance capability, including the resources foran extra 800 frontline staff. We remain indiscussion with the Association of Chief PoliceOfficers (ACPO) and individual forces over thebest way for IND and the police to worktogether in tackling immigration crime, and theway in which police expertise can support IND.

3.19 Mobile biometric readers are increasingly beingused by the police, immigration officials andother enforcement agencies to check identity aspart of their day-to-day operations. Previouslyregistered biometrics will make it easier todetect, detain, document and then removepeople who should not be here. They will alsohelp us determine where people came from andreturn them, even if they have destroyed theirown passport or travel documents. In the firstfive months of 2006 alone, 7,000 foreignnationals were identified by enforcement officersusing mobile fingerprint equipment.

3.20 We will also progressively link biometric andbiographical information held on foreign nationalsin different parts of the criminal justice andimmigration systems, starting by establishingcross-links between existing ID records held ondifferent systems. We will shortly be launching apilot in partnership with the police, where we willstart the verification process of a person’snationality for the first time.

3.21 Over time, we will develop common ‘identifiers’,which we can use to establish a single identityfor someone and track them individually andsecurely through our systems. Setting commonstandards for data collection and informationsharing will be central to how we do this; andthe National Identity Scheme will play a centralrole in driving their development.

� From 2007, we will add additional securityand biometric features to existing traveldocuments issued to people with refugeestatus, exceptional leave to remain, or whohave been recognised as stateless, to increasetheir security and stamp out abuse.

� We will provide other government agencieswith exit control data so that they can shutdown benefits for those who leave.

� We will progressively tighten the security ofother documents issued to foreign nationals inthis country through the use of biometrics.


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3.22 The progressive introduction of exit checks willalso mean we know who leaves, and can checkthem off against arrival records. We will usethis information to shut down any access tobenefits and services when people have left theUK. We will also feed information aboutoverstayers and other forms of abuse back intothe system so that we can use this history, ifnecessary, to stop them coming in if they applyto come back into the country later on.

� We will make it easier for police, prison andimmigration officials and other enforcementagencies to check someone’s identity, usingbiometric readers, and to document andremove them if their identity is alreadyregistered on the system.

� We will develop our information systems toallow us to bring together and analyse largevolumes of biographical information in ourdatabases and caseworking systems, so we cancheck someone’s entitlement to be here, andwhether or not they might pose a risk of harmor abuse.

� From 2010, we will be able to count themajority of people in and out of the countryand use this to make decisions on whetherpeople should be allowed to return.

Travel history updatedto confirm traveller has

left the UK

Targeted biometricembarkation checks

6Exit from the UKElectronic readers count people out at border control.

Access to benefits shut down when people leave.

OverseasPort

IssuingPost

UKvisas

HO IssuingCentre



UKvisas

OverseasPort

IssuingPost

Figure 5: People who commit offences or abuse our immigration laws will be easier to detect,detain and deport


16

Working in partnership4.1 For our programme of change to be successful

we will need to work closely with a range ofpartners across government, the private sectorand internationally.

Across government4.2 The changes we intend to introduce to

transform our border and immigrationcontrols are part of the wider NationalIdentity Scheme, led by the Identity andPassport Service (IPS). This scheme isexplained in the Strategic Action Plan for the

National Identity Scheme. Using identitymanagement to protect our bordersand improve identity security is one of thekey objectives of the scheme. TheImmigration and Nationality Directorate(IND), with UKvisas, lead on the applicationof the scheme to foreign nationals.

4.3 IND and IPS are working together to ensurethat we are taking a consistent approach withinthe National Identity Scheme. IPS is initiatinga series of joint ventures, which will help shapethe development of services within the NationalIdentity Scheme. These joint ventures aimto gather requirements, fully define the serviceand test customers’ experience of using services.IND, as an area where the National IdentityScheme will provide significant benefits, willbe at the forefront in working with IPS on thejoint ventures.

4.4 We will also continue to work closely withother government agencies with an interestin identity management. Our e-Bordersprogramme involves our partners in UKvisas,the police, the Serious and Organised CrimeAgency and HM Revenue and Customs, all ofwhom have a stake in the benefits we willdeliver.

International collaboration4.5 Collaboration at a European Union (EU) and

international level is also important. We willbuild on our experience, working in partnership

with other countries to make the most effectiveuse of new technology and develop thesupporting infrastructure it will need. We willsupport the development of common standardsof security to underpin this, taking a leadingrole on this in the EU and with otherinternational organisations.

Private sector4.6 We will be working with commercial partners

on many of these changes. Their expertise andexperience is crucial to our own success. Forinstance, some of the front-end service of ourbiometric visa programme will be deliveredthrough commercial partners, and we are inthe process of selecting a commercial partnerfor e-Borders.

4.7 We are already active within recognisedindustry working groups, and will continue toconsult as we develop our plans for the future.We are closely linked with the travel industryand there is huge scope for collaboration, whichwill help us to strengthen border controls whilealso offering opportunities to simplify and joinup operations, working with carriers and ports.We will build further partnerships with air, railand sea carriers, port operators and like-mindedcountries to develop safe and secure passengertravel programmes for trusted passengers.

4.8 A global approach to data and identitymanagement, joined up between governmentand industry, promises substantial long-termbenefits for all. We will work in partnershipwith carriers and ports to ensure that thechanges we are making maintain the UK’scompetitiveness and facilitate travel forlow-risk passengers.

4.9 We are carrying out impact assessments of howour proposals might impact on travellers, business,the voluntary sector and the public sector. Werecognise that our proposals to strengthen checkson identity and tackle illegal working may placesome additional burdens on business. We willcontinue to work in partnership with those

Chapter 4:Making it happen


17

Chapter 4:Making it happen

concerned to minimise these and to maximisebenefits, for example from improved identitychecking services. We will conduct and publishfull Regulatory Impact Assessments on specificproposals as necessary and consult as appropriate.

Liam Byrne, Minister for Nationality, Citizenship andImmigration, uses the miSenseplus gates at Heathrow,part of a joint trial between BAA, Cathay Pacific, EmiratesAirlines and IND

Funding future development4.10 The overall timetable for developing identity

management as part of IND’s activity will bedetermined by our total resources: centralfunding, efficiency savings and income fromcharging. It will also need to take account oftechnical and commercial feasibility.

4.11 Many of our proposals are about improvingwhat we currently do with our existingresources. Some of them – such as usingidentity technology to prevent abuse of ourasylum system and shut down access to benefitsfor those not entitled – will generate substantialsavings in the longer term. This will also helpus to fund some of the developments set outin this Action Plan.

4.12 We also charge for some of the servicesoutlined in this Action Plan, such as visasand applications for extensions of stay. We willensure that we are charging a fair and economicrate for these services that reflects the true costto the taxpayer while recognising the economicbenefits that travel and migration bring.

4.13 To this end, we launched a consultation exerciseon 30 October 2006 seeking views on how wecharge people coming to work, live, visit orstudy in the UK. The consultation looks at howexisting services are paid for as well as how theycan deliver the Government’s commitment totransform the immigration service, includingdoubling its enforcement capability by2009/10. A copy of the consultation documentis available at:www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/lawandpolicy/consultationdocuments/currentconsultations

4.14 Comments on this Action Plan may also be sentto: [email protected]

or to:

Borders, Immigration and Identity Action PlanCommentsImmigration and Nationality DirectorateHome OfficeApollo House36 Wellesley RoadCroydon CR9 3RR


18

AnnexBuilding the system year on year: summary milestones

Check inYear Visas and travel Arrival In country Exit

95 per cent ofpassengers countedin and out

Biometric IDcards rolled outprogressively to non-EEA foreign nationalsin the UK. Identitychecking servicesoperating for UKemployers andcolleges

Biometrically enabledautomated clearance pointsin place at major ports

Electronic backgroundchecks on travellers,covering 190 million(95 per cent) passengermovements across UKborders

All foreign nationalsapplying for entryclearance to travelto UK havebiometrics vettedand stored

2010

60 per cent ofpassengers countedin and out

Biometric IDcards rolled outprogressively tonon-EEA nationalsin the UK. Identitychecking servicesoperating for UKemployers andcolleges

Biometric checkingof visas, passports,residence cards andpassenger identityat high traffic ports

Electronic backgroundchecks on travellerscovering 120 million(60 per cent) passengermovements across UKborders


2009

Database recordsexit data on90 routes

Begin to issuebiometric ID to non-EEA nationals in UK.Identity checkingservices operating forUK employers andcolleges

Risk profiling on high riskroutes, allowing targetedaction by border controlofficers. Fingerprintingto support secondaryinvestigation

Electronic backgroundchecks on travellerson 90 routes, covering30 million (15 per cent)passenger movementsacross UK borders


2008

Risk-based exitchecks at someports. Databaserecords exit dataon 55 routes

Enhanced employeeidentity checkingservice for employers

Biometric passport readersrolled out. Iris scanninggates at key ports for60,000 vetted travellers

Electronic backgroundchecks on travellerson 55 routes covering20 million passengermovements across UKborders

Biometric ID visasat 150 posts abroad.Most foreignnationals applyingfor entry clearancehave biometricsvetted and stored

2007

Risk-based exitchecks at ports.Database recordsexit data on45 routes

Employer helpline inoperation. Enhancedemployers adviceservice

Iris scanning gates at keyports for 50,000 vettedtravellers

Electronic backgroundchecks on travellers on45 routes covering15 million passengermovements across UKborders

Biometric IDvisas at 40 postsabroad. 21,000foreign nationalsa month havebiometrics checkedand registeredwhen applyingfor visa

2006


Produced by COI on behalf of the Home Office, December 2006. Ref: 278701

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