The global roll-out of fingerprint checks on all visa applicants to Britain is complete three months ahead of schedule, the government announced on Monday.
Immigration Minister Liam Byrne said on Monday the largest shake up to Britain's border security and immigration system for 40 years has been secured.
Anyone applying for a visa from 133 countries covering three quarters of the world's population now have their fingerprints checked against British databases. Nearly 500 cases of identity swapping have been spotted already.
The minister also confirmed that the Border and Immigration Agency (BIA) has exceeded that target of removing or deporting more than 4,000 foreign prisoners by the end of 2007 by 200.
He urged those immigrants that Britain needs to contribute to the country as long as they speak English, pay tax and obey the law.
The minister reiterated the four themes to the work of BIA, namely protection, prevention, accountability and compassion.
Biometric fingerprints have been taken from more than one million people, and so far 10,000 visa applicants have been identified who have previously been fingerprinted in Britain in connection with immigration cases or asylum applications.
The government is currently consulting on proposals to overhaul how marriage and short term visas are issued. The biggest shake-up in British immigration system is aimed to allow the country to continue to reap the benefits of migration, while preventing abuse of the system.
Source:Xinhua
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