Australia includes protection visas in biometric collection
01 December, 2010
category: Biometrics, Government
Australia’s Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) has announced that those seeking protection visas will have their biometric collected as part of the new initiative that has all those seeking citizenship or extended residency in the country, according to a Computerworld article.
The biometric collection, which is being put in place for better management of the application process, improvement of identity management and curb fraud in the immigration process, involves the collection of fingerprint samples from all ten fingers and a digital facial image.
As the biometric collection is being introduced to the immigration and visa application process in stages, the immediate stage only requires those using paper applications, regardless of nationality, to supply biometric data with those applying electronically being exempt from biometric collection.
Furthermore, Australia is planning the collection of biometric data for offshore applications beginning with Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Yemen, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia with additional countries planned for the near future.
Read the full story here.