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back to article Invest in Britain, it's fingerprinting good

From next month, business travellers coming to the UK for up to six months will be fingerprinted for a biometric visa, and will have to prove that their visit is genuine, according to new rules announced yesterday by immigration minister Phil Woolas. The new rules do not affect visitors from the EU or countries - such as the …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Do business outside the UK

    This quote is wrong:

    "Katja Hall, CBI Director of Employment Policy, said that the CBI broadly supported the government approach. "Importantly," she added, "the new system will not affect people from countries where a visa is not required, including EU countries and the US."

    Because of course, if the WIFE of the businessman originally came from a visa country, then they will need a visa to visit even from the EU and US, even for a quick trip.

    Even to TRANSIT the UK they'd need a visa.

    Given all the CCTV crap, surveillance, RIPA abuses, stop and search without suspicion, curfews, why would you base your business there?

    Once the reason was the city financial market, or property related, or oil related, but now the city and it's 'credit default swaps' have blown up, and the mortgage bubble is bursting, the oil has run out and they have no money.

    So come base yourself in mainland Eurozone Europe till they get their act together. (Even parts of elReg buggered off to the US.)

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  2. Nomen Publicus
    Alert

    TThe book is open... place your bets here!

    How long will it be before the disk drive containing all the traveller details, including fingerprints, is lost?

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  3. Anonymous Coward
    Stop

    No!

    No...No...No...No...No...No...No...No...No...No...No...No...No...No...No...No...No...

    No...No...No...No...No...No...No...No...No...No...No...No...No...No...No...No...No...

    No...No...No...No...No...No...No...No...No...No...No...

    Clue to government: stop wasting time on pointless shite like this and start sorting - as in properly sorting:

    - the environment

    - the forthcoming "power crunch"

    - the economy/national debt

    - crime

    - pubic transport

    - the council tax

    - a cut in stealth taxes

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  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    i really hope india is not exempt

    the more hoops that have to be jumped through the better for the uk software industry.

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  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Entertainer visas will be easier to get

    So our best defence against terror is the hope that Osama bin Laden can't get his comic exploding dog act booked for the panto season in Margate.

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  6. DR

    US exempt

    Why is the US exempt from this check?

    ALL visitors (even those not wanting to do business or make money) there have to be fingerprint checked/eye scanned on arrival. and that's when they are coming to contribute to their economy, not take money out in a no tax lets take it all overseas manner!

    I see no problems with tight border controls, provided that tight border controls are just that, not semi lapse, so if you come from one country you walk straight in, whilst the chinese guy behind you waits hours having his life story detailed in full.

    without border controls for everybody, what's the point in border controls at all?

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  7. Jeremy
    Stop

    Not visas perhaps...

    ...but we damn well should demand full passenger details inc cc numbers before take-off from the USA and then fingerprint and photograph visitors when they get here - it's not like they don't do it to us!

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  8. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    This should have been done ......

    Years ago. I kept receiving enquiries from dodgy people in Pakistan, India, Africa etc

    pretending they were interested in doing business, they would then ask you to send

    them an invitation letter so they could get a visa to visit the factory and never would be seen.

    In the end I reported some to Embassy and now am very careful with terrorists trying every

    trick to get in. For years I am sure many have come in pretending to be on business trip.

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  9. David
    Stop

    Cost Benefit Analysis ? Anyone?

    Do Governments ever do a cost benefit analysis on schemes like these?

    What exactly does this hope to achieve ?

    It seems to me that Governments, particularly in the UK and USA have gone to great lengths to irritate as many air passengers as possible.

    I mean what's next? Full body cavity search and microchip implanted into the brain for all passengers who are flying in on a charter from Ibiza.

    Frankly, I think all these anti-terror / security measures are just making people's lives misery for no good reason. The securicracy has gone mad and is spending vast amount of OUR money to annoy US !!!!

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  10. Andus McCoatover
    Gates Horns

    @jeremy

    <<demand full passenger details inc cc numbers>>

    Don't you mean "SS" numbers? (Wish I had the Nazi 'S' on my keyboard, dammit.)

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  11. Andus McCoatover
    Dead Vulture

    3 Months??

    >>This is intended to cover everyone who is in the country for more than three months, and therefore wouldn't apply to those visiting for shorter periods.<<

    OK, I get it.

    Don't stay for more than three months if you're a suicide bomber.

    Bleeding obvious icon, please.

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  12. Anonymous Coward
    Happy

    Why is the US exempt from this check?

    Because you are the 51st state of the USA?

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  13. kain preacher

    time to worry

    When the print you to leave the country.

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  14. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    What about

    All the folks who have already dropped off the accounting and are scattered all over the country? you going to round them up and send them home now that their visit is over? Yeah, right; that's what I thought.

    I kept receiving enquiries from dodgy people in Pakistan, India, Africa etc

    pretending they were interested in doing business, having me open an account here so they could deposit their millions or that I won a lottery and got lots of money coming to me and they would then ask you to send them an invitation letter with all the proper account details so they could get a check off to me, but they and the money would never be seen.

    In the end I reported some to Embassy and now am very careful with wankers trying every

    trick to get my money. For years I am sure many have come in pretending to be on a generous business trip.

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  15. Andrew Taylor
    Flame

    But

    the US is threatening to pull out of the Visa Waiver scheme from January so all 'merkin diplomats & troops coming to the UK will have to have a biometric visa, oh dear, I'm gutted

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  16. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    @bad new AC

    "In the end I reported some to Embassy and now am very careful with terrorists trying everytrick to get in."

    As I said, don't do business with the UK, the first thought that will pop into the head of the British businessman you try to sell/buy from is 'is this person a terrorist'. Even though their own terrorists were from Leeds.

    It's like the whole of the UK is run by hysterical housewives like Jacqui.

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  17. Sillyfellow
    Pirate

    what financial crisis?

    so never mind that the country, banks, industry and government are all in dire financial shit.... lets spend spend spend. all in the name of those oh so terribly dangerous terrrrrists and 'national security'.. bullshit is what i say.

    it's obvious what NuGvtOrder want, regardless of what it may cost...

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