Changes in UK immigration cap and identity cards

United Kingdom, 15th May: According to the new Home Secretary of the UK, Theresa May, there will be a annual UK immigration cap on those coming from non-EU nations and National ID cards (Identity Cards) for foreign national would be scrapped.

However, any details of the annual limit on UK immigration are yet to be announced.

Among the changes announced by the incoming Lib Dem and Conservative coalition government in the UK include DNA database reforms, reviewing of liberal laws and stricter regulation of CCTV. 

The scheme of National ID cards had been introduced for immigrants coming to study in the UK or work in the UK way back in 2008, but since its introduction, the scheme had earned the wrath of both the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives.

Both the parties argued that ID cards are not only quite expensive and intrusive but also inefficient to curb the rising menace of terrorism or organized crime in the UK.

The National Identity Card costs £30 in the UK.

The statement by the Home Office said that the process of cancellation of ID cards and National Identity Register will be announced in a period of next two weeks. Meanwhile, the ID cards will remain valid and people can apply for getting ID cards until legislation by parliament is passed for banning them.

Several immigrant workers from non-EU nations and a large number of UK citizens belonging to North-West England were issued ID cards.

The Home Office has advised people to wait for any further announcements before applying for ID cards.

Regarding the changes to be made to the DNA database, May said the Home Office is clear about which changes are needed. The first priority would be to include those people on the DNA database who have been convicted of any crime and have not been on the database till now.

May criticized the last UK government who did not bother to include those guilty of crime on the database but rather focused on having data of those who were innocent.

Some of the other plans of the new government include discontinuation of the vague rule of getting the fingerprints of children at various schools without permission of their parents and further regulations of CCTV.