Biometrics will be at the heart of the UK’s planned border control policy.
Science Direct reports that Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to introduce a system – similar to what Canada and the US use – based on Electronic Travel Authorisations (ETAs) which travellers would have to obtain before entering the UK.
The aim is to store biometric data such as fingerprints or retina scans on all ETAs, to provide an extra security layer.
According to Science Direct, the UK Government said this new biometric-based system would “enable border officers to better screen arrivals against watchlists and block those judged to be a threat from entering the country.”
Automated exit and entrance checks would also make it more difficult for people with serious criminal convictions to enter the UK from countries within the European Union.
The UK is expected to leave the EU by the end of the month, and subsequently move away from its migration policy.
Johnson’s Conservative Government argue that the EU’s “free movement” policy had “made it easier for illicit goods such as drugs, guns and explosive precursors, as well as illegal immigrants and terrorists to enter the UK, as well as costing an estimated £5 billion each year due to excise, customs and tariff evasion.”
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