06/01/2010

Migrant ID Card Scheme Extended

Skilled migrants seeking to renew their UK visas will now be required to apply for a compulsory ID card, it was announced today.

Border and Immigration Minister Phil Woolas said the roll out of the scheme has continued ahead of schedule.

More than 130,000 cards have been issued since the scheme was introduced in November 2008.

This previously covered students renewing their visa under Tier 4 of the Points Based System (PBS) and people seeking to renew marriage visas.

From today, the scheme will be extended to incorporate skilled foreign workers under Tier 2 of the PBS.

This extension was due to come into effect in April this year. It will add around 40,000 foreign nationals a year to those currently being issued with the cards.

Mr Woolas said the biometric data contained on the card ties migrants to one identity and prevents those here illegally from benefiting from the privileges of life in Britain.

"Identity cards have already been issued to more than 130,000 foreign nationals, with a total of approximately 140,000 due to be issued by the end of the financial year," he said

"We are proud to be working with the Post Office to provide vital extra capacity and speed up the enrolment process.

"The greater choice this partnership provides for migrants is proving popular and already 1,432 have used the new technology in Post Offices to enrol their details."

(PR/GK)

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