The UK Border Agency has announced intentions to require applicants applying for six-month stays from outside the European Economic Area to use biometric residency permits starting at the end of February 2012, according to an HR Magazine article.

The permits will replace the multiple documents employers in the country use to ensure their employees are legal residents as well as make the whole process simpler and more secure.

In addition to the biometrics to the permit process, the agency is enabling employers to check employee permit statuses online to better ensure the employee’s permit is valid. The UK Border Agency is offering assistance to employers to keep their employment practices legal and, subsequently, avoid the 10,000 pound per illegal employee fine.

To meet the expected increase in demand, 100 Crown Post Offices in the UK will begin processing the fingerprints and photographs of foreign nationals so that the smart cards with the embedded chips containing the biometric data can be quickly dispersed to those with whose applications pass criminal and terrorism checks.

Read the full story here.