Dear Sir/Madam, The UK Border Agency is announcing today a number of developments regarding its plans to issue Identity Cards for Foreign Nationals (ICFN). We are: ◦ Announcing our intention (subject to Parliamentary approval) to accelerate issuing cards to skilled workers with a UK sponsor extending leave under Tier 2 of the Points Based System (PBS) from April 2010 to January 2010. ◦ Proposing bringing forward the issue of cards to highly skilled workers and temporary workers extending leave under Tiers 1 and 5 to the end of 2010. ◦ Piloting biometric enrolment with Post Office Ltd at 17 Crown Post Office locations from October. Identity Cards for Foreign Nationals make checking whether someone has the right to work simpler. They replace numerous other documents with a single recognisable and comprehensive proof of entitlement to live and work in the UK. They are a convenient, extremely secure and widely accepted way for any foreign national to prove their immigration status. We initially began issuing identity cards to foreign national students and spouses or partners from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) wishing to extend their leave in the UK in November 2008. From March this year we rolled out to other categories, including students applying under Tier 4 of the PBS and people seeking to transfer their conditions of leave into a new passport. We have now issued 90k cards, ahead of our target to issue 75k cards by November. The process of applying for an Identity Card for Foreign Nationals requires applicants to enrol their biometrics (fingerprints and facial image) before we make an immigration decision. To improve
customer service choice, from October, 17 Crown Post Offices will begin piloting biometric enrolment. This will be a walk-in service with no need to book an appointment. Details will be made available on the UK Border Agency website as these sites come online. In addition to the Home Office's Biometric Enrolment centres in Croydon, Sheffield, Solihull, Cardiff, Liverpool, Glasgow and Belfast, since the summer foreign nationals have been enrolling biometrics at four Identity and Passport Service Interview Offices: - Elephant and Castle (London) - Brighton - Birmingham - Derby We have made it more convenient to book an appointment at one of our offices by launching a new online booking service. Details of this can be found on the UK Border Agency website. The UK Border Agency also has mobile enrolment capability to enable those unable to travel for medical reasons to enrol their biometric features. We are exploring the use of mobile enrolment for those applicants who wish to pay for an exclusive service to have their biometrics enrolled at their home, place of work or study. This would be a service that would be charged for over and above the cost of the immigration application fee. More detailed information on Identity Cards for Foreign Nationals and the exact locations of our biometric enrolment centres can be found on the UK Border Agency's website. Employers need to be aware that under the Government's new Points Based System for immigration, which started to roll out in 2008, businesses need to be licensed as sponsors by the UK Border Agency before they can bring in any skilled foreign workers from outside the EEA. Under PBS the sponsor will have to keep proper records of the migrants they have sponsored, including their contact details and a copy of their identity card, and supply those to the UK Border Agency on request. Further information about the Points Based System is available on the UK Border Agency website. Yours faithfully, Jeremy Oppenheim
Regional Director North East, Yorkshire and Humber and National Lead for Economic and Family Migration Â