Green: Non-EEA passengers to UK to be checked using e-Borders system

Every passenger on non-European Economic Area (EEA) flights travelling to the UK will have their details checked using the e-Borders system, Immigration Minister Damian Green has said.

Speaking at the Royal United Services Institute on 14th March 2012, the minister said there will be clear rules into the correct level of checks for every type of passenger and all types of goods that cross the UK border.

In addition, the e-Borders system will be rolled out even further to cover 100 per cent of non-EEA flights by April.

The e-Borders programme collects and analyses information on passengers and crew intending to travel to or from the UK before they travel.

“A safe and secure border means not just better immigration control, but safer streets and more secure citizens. There can be no compromises on border security. In a dangerous world, our border is one of our main protections,” Mr. Green said.

In 2011, 2.6 million UK visa applications were made and there were around 200 million passenger journeys across UK borders. Five hundred million tonnes of freight passed through seaports.

The e-borders, Mr. Green said, “combined with our strict visa regime means that all non-EEA arriving from outside Europe will have been checked once, and many twice, while they are still thousands of miles from our passport controls. That means better protection than ever before and a stronger border.”