Biometric plastic cards the size of a credit card or driver's license are intended to replace the currently used visa stickers in the passports of foreign nationals living in the UK on a long-term basis.
The pink card will contain a person's photo, name, gender and date of birth, immigration category and validity period of the UK residence permit, as well as a chip with biometric information (fingerprints) and a machine-readable strip.
According to RIA Novosti, the first groups of foreigners to receive these documents will be students from non-EU countries and persons married to British citizens. By April 2009, the Home Office plans to issue 50,000 plastic identity cards for foreigners. Gradually, cards will be issued to all other categories of foreign nationals. The transition to plastic ID cards is planned to be fully completed by 2014.
According to the head of the UK Home Office, the new cards will serve as 'a simpler and more reliable proof of identity.' 'We want to be able to deny access to the privileges of life in Britain to those who are here illegally. We all want to see our borders more secure, to combat illegal entry, organized crime, illegal migration and various abuses. ID cards will help us in all these areas,' said Jacqui Smith.
More than 300 million pounds sterling are planned to be spent on the scheme in the next ten years. In the future, the British government intends to merge the database for foreigners with the database for UK nationals, who are also expected to start receiving plastic identity cards in the coming years.