SAGEM to provide smart cards with fingerprint data for applicants seeking asylum in the United Kingdom

SAGEM to provide smart cards with fingerprint data for applicants seeking asylum in the United Kingdom

"6 February 2002 -Home Office Minister Lord Rooker announced on 31st of January 2002 the issuing of the first new high-tech biometric cards for asylum applicants in the United Kingdom.

The Application Registration Card (ARC) extension to the Immigration and Asylum Fingerprint System (IAFS) with the Immigration and Nationality Directorate of the British Home Office is designed to provide in-country asylum applicants with a card containing textual, photographic and fingerprint data, to allow the positive identification of the applicant. Some textual and photographic data will be shown on the card for physical inspection, whilst the fingerprint and textual data will be held on a secure chip.

Each ARC will allow quick, positive verification of an applicant’s identity through comparison of fingerprint data securely coded on the chip with fingerprint data taken from the applicant at the time, through means of the SAGEM developed QuickCheck (MorphoTouch™) units. The capability to positively identify an applicant will greatly reduce the scope for fraud through illegal benefits claims.

The smart card manufactured by SAGEM will replace the current Standard Acknowledgement Letter (SAL), which has become easy to forge, counterfeit and damage.

The ARC extension builds upon the successful IAFS project base, in operation since December 2000. The success of the initial IAFS project in detecting multiple asylum applications and helping in crime control, has allowed this significant extension to proceed.

The project implementation schedule has been extremely demanding, with the central production site in Croydon commencing production on 31st January 2002. A phased roll-out to other locations, including some arrival ports, is planned and will be complete by late autumn 2002.

This project now places SAGEM firmly at the forefront of leading edge integrated operational biometric applications.

Press Information:
Hervé PHILIPPE
Senior VP, Chief Financial Officer
Tel. +33 1 40 70 62 57
Fax. +33 1 40 70 62 15
E-mail: herve.philippe@sagem.com"

http://www.sagem.com/