ID cards mandatory for skilled UK work visa holders

United Kingdom, January 8: As per the new rules of UK immigration, all skilled workers holding UK work visa would be required to carry ID cards with them.

Before this scheme, only UK student visa and UK marriage visa holders were required to carry ID cards. 

From today onwards, all skilled immigrants including religious ministers and professional sports persons including women would need to apply for ID card while applying for renewal of their UK visas, revealed an announcement by Home Office.

Tier 2 immigrants or skilled workers with sponsors will be required to apply for ID cards from January 6. Earlier, this group was to go for compulsory enrolment in the month of April, 2010.

Already, nearly 130,000 immigrants in UK have been issued identity cards and by the end of 2010, nearly 140,000 UK immigrants will be issued identity cards, stated Phil Woolas, Border and Immigration Minister here on Wednesday. 

This scheme of compulsory ID cards named ‘the Identity and Passport Service (IPS)’ aims to increase security of the country and is hoped to cut down on increasing incidents of immigration frauds. 

As per the rules of the UK Border Agency, identity cards for foreign students and UK marriage visa holders were made compulsory from 25th November 2008. 
 

Woolas added that identity cards are considered to be a simple and secure way for foreign citizens to prove that they are legally entitled not jut to live but also study or work in UK.

The card provides evidence of the immigration status, nationality and identity of the immigrant in UK. 

Meanwhile, this latest scheme by the Home Office is receiving severe criticism from the Conservatives and several others. Guy Herbert, general secretary of the No2ID group and privacy campaigner lamented the scheme as a sheer wastage by the government since the government already has sufficient information about all such foreign nationals in UK. 

Those who remain unaffected by this scheme of compulsory ID cards include foreign citizens seeking indefinite leave to stay, settled population and applicants for other immigration categories. 

To deal with the sudden rush for ID cards, new biometric information collection centers and additional collection centers in Post offices have been opened by the UK government.