Leave your thumb impression, then get visa to UK

UK government has made it mandatory along with digital photo for applicants aged over five

MUMBAI: Starting today, you cannot get your UK visa sitting at home. You may have to stand in the queue even if it is for a few minutes.
 
The UK government has introduced a new system, Biometric data collection, where everyone over the age of five will have to be physically present at the visa facilitation centres. The government has adopted the strategy to streamline asylum and immigration problems in the UK. The centres will store applicants’ fingerprint and digital picture. This data will be sent to the British High Commission, which will forward it to the database collection centre in London.
 
“This strategy has been introduced in more than 130 countries,” said Vicki Treadell, deputy high commissioner. The system was introduced in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and Jordan in April this year.  “The system has been introduced to identify valued customers, protect identity fraud, check human trafficking, make the UK a safer place to live in and also help speed up the entry at ports and airports,” said Treadell.

Of all visa applications received by the UK in 2006, one-fifth were from India. “Last year, we had 440,000 applications and 80 per cent of them were applied visas,” said Rachel de Klark, head of visas, western region. The system can, however, take up to four days. But the British High Commission blames it on Indian laws. At present, an application can be processed within 24 hours. “The Indian government allows limited data transfer through the Internet. We are trying to talk with the government to sort the issue at the earliest,” said Klark.

Visa application will be done through two facilitation centres in the city. There are 12 centres in India.