Undocumented Migrants: Biometrics

(asked on 2nd December 2021) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what biometric details are taken from irregular migrants who arrive in the UK from France by boat; whether such details are taken from all irregular migrants arriving from France by boat; and whether it is possible for the UK immigration authorities to compare these details with records held by EU member states.


Answered by
Baroness Williams of Trafford Portrait
Baroness Williams of Trafford
Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
This question was answered on 16th December 2021

People arriving by small boats across the Channel are subject to stringent checks on arrival in the UK and again as they are processed into the asylum system.

Immediately on arrival, initial identity checks are undertaken for all individuals over the age of five, based on the name given and fingerprints are checked against immigration and Police criminal databases.

Once triaged and moved to appropriate accommodation, arrivals will be subject to additional checks as part of the asylum intake process. This will include identity and biometric enrolment based on fingerprints taken, with details checked against law enforcement, immigration, Police and security databases. There may be some individual cases where these checks are not conducted. It is not possible to check these details against the EU systems to which the UK has access under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement because use of those systems is only permitted for law enforcement, not immigration purposes.

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