First wave of ID cards issued to migrant workers

Posted on 26 November 2008

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The first identity cards have been issued to foreign nationals living in the UK, it has been announced.

Approximately 50,000 international students and spouses of permanent UK residents will be issued with ID in the first wave of the programme.

Up to 90 per cent of foreign nationals living on British shores could be required to carry cards by 2014, according to reports.

Home secretary Jacqui Smith said ID cards for foreign nationals would, over time, replace paper documents and provide employers with a safe and secure way of checking the rights of migrants to work and study in the UK.

She estimated that the overall cost of the scheme would be £5.1 billion.

Under a new regime introduced by the UK Border Agency in February 2008, business owners found to be employing illegal workers may face civil sanctions.

Earlier this month, 27 employees at a Preston poultry factory were found to lack the necessary work visas.

Category: Agency News

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