Immigration articles in association with
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Coming soon to an airport near you: the introduction of biometrics
 
Despite many years of research and several attempts at widespread introduction, it is only now that security systems based on biometrics - human characteristics such as faces, hand shapes and fingerprints - are finally being implemented.

The Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 allows the operation of a scheme under which an individual may supply or submit to the obtaining or recording of information about their external physical characteristics to be used (wholly or partly) in connection with entry into the UK. Now, the government's five-year strategy for asylum and immigration, 'Controlling Our Borders: Making Migration Work for Britain', announced on 7 February 2005, formally introduces the 'e-Borders' programme into the public arena.

According to the strategy, the programme aims to create a 'joined-up, modernised, intelligence-led border control and security framework for the UK'. Designed to complement and enhance the UK's counter-terrorism strategy, it is anticipated that e-Borders will lead to 'fundamentally more effective and efficient intelligence and law enforcement of border control'. The programme will facilitate the introduction of pre-boarding electronic checks of all persons flying to the UK by carriers, requiring them to release passenger names, dates of birth, nationality and travel documents.

It will also introduce the use of biometric technology to provide secure automated clearance through UK immigration control for regular travellers who fall into certain immigration categories.

So, what does the possible introduction of biometric technology mean?

According to an article published in The Economist in December 2003, those favouring these ideas have long argued that because biometrics cannot be lost or stolen, their use is an ideal way of identifying people's movements. However, biometric systems are expensive compared with other security measures, and perhaps this is one of the reasons why their use, until now, has been very limited.

Sadly, the 11 September terrorist attacks opened the purse strings of governments throughout the world.

Biometrics can be used in two ways: firstly as a source of identification ('who is this person?'), and secondly as verification ('is this person who they claim to be?').

The first method determines the subject's identity by comparing it against a database of stored records. The second involves a one-to-one comparison between a measured biometric and one known to come from a particular person.

All biometrics can be used for verification, but they vary in the extent to which they can be used for identification.

Which biometric should the UK use?
Hand geometry technology was the first biometric identifier to come into use. It involved scanning the shape and size of some or all of the hand.

Unfortunately, trials quickly revealed that this biometric had one key failing - people's hands do not differ enough for it to be used as a secure identification system.

In its place came finger scanning. While ink-based fingerprints have been used for well over 100 years, the advance of technology in this field has resulted in modern systems being able to fine tune the loops and arches of conventional fingerprints into a numerical code. This can be compared against a database in seconds, with an extraordinary degree of accuracy.

Indeed, on 26 November 2003, the French Parliament passed legislation requiring all foreigners applying for a visa to give their fingerprints. With effect from 6 April 2005, the French Embassy in Sri Lanka started issuing biometric Schengen visas.

There is a problem, however. The remarkable results from fingerprinting arise as a consequence of the meticulous fashion in which the print is actually taken. All ten fingers are used and each fingerprint must achieve 'nail to nail' coverage.

Although such thoroughness can be attained at a police station or an embassy, it is unlikely to be achievable at an airport. Not only that, apparently around 5% of people do not have unique readable fingerprints either because they are genetically not distinct enough or simply because manual labour carried out over a period of many years has worn them down.

The US began using biometrics at its airports and seaports in January 2004. Under its US VISIT programme, it was proposed that all foreigners entering on visas were to have their hands and faces digitally scanned. It was hoped that this would create an electronic 'check-in/check-out' system.

However, the results of a US government test cast doubt on the accuracy of facial recognition methods.

In trials, none of the systems worked well for formal identification purposes, nor did they deliver accurate results when attempting to recognise a face surreptitiously.

The final biometric to have quickly been short-listed is the eye - in particular the iris. To date, the most widespread use of iris recognition has been in Afghanistan, where the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is using iris scans to prevent refugees from collecting benefits more than once.

The iris - the coloured centre of the eye - has a unique pattern. It holds more information than any other visible part of the body. No two irises are the same, not even between identical twins or between the left and right eyes of the same person.

To date, iris recognition has outperformed six other biometric systems including facial recognition, fingerprinting, hand geometry, and vein and voice recognition.

Dr John Daugman at the Computer Laboratory of Cambridge University is the creator of iris recognition technology. 'It is all about convenience, efficiency and accuracy,' he says.

An access control system using this technology was tested at Heathrow Airport three years ago. Frequent fliers with British Airways and Virgin Atlantic were invited to enrol. For the period of the trial, incoming passengers, once enrolled, passed through automated iris recognition stations in the immigration halls of terminals three and four, where the iris was imaged and the pattern checked against the enrolment bio database.

Initial findings from this six-month trial suggested that this technology was effective and robust in a live airport environment. Astonishingly, participating passengers took only 12 seconds on average to be admitted through the iris barrier, a substantial reduction from the norm under conventional airport controls.

And so it is, that within the e-Borders programme for the UK, a significant role will be played by Project IRIS, the 'Iris Recognition Immigration System'. According to the five-year strategy, the system will use biometric technology to provide 'fast and secure automated clearance through UK immigration control for certain categories of regular travellers'.

How IRIS will work
IRIS is aimed at foreign travellers who are temporarily or permanently resident in the UK and also those who travel to the UK frequently, such as work permit holders, overseas students, business visitors, returning residents, family members of EEA and Swiss nationals, British citizens and dependents. However, due to the nature of the process on arrival in the UK, where passengers need to be capable of passing through a double automated barrier without the assistance of another person, children under the age of eight cannot be registered to participate in the scheme.

Eligible passengers can volunteer to enrol for the scheme, which is currently free. Enrolment will take place in the airport departure lounge where immigration officers, who will be known as 'enrolment officers' for the purposes of this scheme, will assess eligibility and enrol qualifying applicants. Participants will be enrolled to use the automated barriers for an indefinite period, although the Secretary of State reserves the right to terminate a person's permission if they do not use the automated barrier for two years.

Candidates must present to the enrolment officer a valid passport or other travel documents satisfactorily establishing their identity and nationality or citizenship. Furthermore, depending on their immigration status, candidates must then present either evidence of indefinite leave to enter or indefinite leave to remain in the UK or valid entry clearance.

In the case of frequent short-term visitors, non-visa nationals must, in addition to presenting a valid passport, also satisfy the enrolment officer that they have been granted leave to enter the UK as a visitor on at least two occasions in the last six months or four occasions in the last 12 months. The enrolment officer must be satisfied that the person understands that, on each occasion they arrive in the UK:

they must be genuinely seeking entry to the UK as a visitor for a limited period not exceeding six months and for no other purpose;
they must intend to leave the UK at the end of the period of the visit;
they must not intend to take employment in the UK;
they must not intend to produce goods or services;
they must maintain and accommodate themselves without recourse to public funds; and
they must be able to meet the cost of the return journey from the UK.
For visitors, the participating period is a maximum of two years. Those who do qualify to participate can then proceed to the next stage of enrolment.

Participants will have both of their eyes photographed using standard video camera technology to capture iris patterns. This data will be stored securely alongside their personal details and each participant will be given a print-out of the information captured. They are then free to travel out of the UK and upon re-entry must use the IRIS barrier. Here, they will be asked to look into the iris camera, and the iris patterns will be photographed. If the iris patterns match, the immigration control barrier will automatically open and no further formal checks will be made.

IRIS is considered to be safe because it does not use laser technology and does not require the participant to make physical contact with the equipment.

Its implementation was due to commence at terminals two and four at Heathrow Airport as a pilot in February 2005. The pilot is to be limited to work permit holders, dependents, overseas students, business visitors and returning residents. Installed with the support of the airport authorities, the full roll-out will take place at the five UK airports with the highest international arrival numbers: Heathrow (all terminals), Gatwick (both terminals), Birmingham, Manchester (terminals one and two) and Stansted.

However, at the time of writing, the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IMD) has advised of a delay in the roll-out process and it is therefore unlikely that full implementation will take place by summer 2005 as originally envisaged.

However, the IND expects that within five years, more than a million people will be registered to use the system.

As pointed out in a recent article in US-based newsletter, Migration Information Source:

'In the fight against illegal migration, it is argued that an iris recognition system such as this may one day facilitate a returns procedure for failed asylum seekers by identifying their true origin, and may even contribute to reducing discrimination by fundamentally raising confidence in border security and immigration controls. This may reduce the number of stereotypes associated with migrants and asylum seekers.'

However, the article suggests there is conflict between 'the need to have secure, safe border controls and the act of collecting biometric information on an enforced basis, as opposed to the UK's current approach which seeks volunteers with the promise of automated, hassle-free entry'.

It remains to be seen whether the Home Office's five-year contract already awarded to a private company for the provision of IRIS will strike the necessary balance - ensuring that controls are robust enough to let in only those with the right to be in the UK and yet efficient enough to process legitimate passengers quickly. With more than 90m people passing through immigration control each year, the challenge is a pressing one.

Written by Sharmila Mehta, Tel: 020 7495 3003
E-mail: sharmila.mehta@magrath.co.uk.
 
 
 
Source: Magrath & Co June 2005
 
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