The Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) in Australia is leading the way for many countries and adding biometrics to the way they track and process immigrants and process visa applications. These new regulations and technologies will likely affect anyone wishing to migrate to Australia including those who seeking prospective marriage visa, partner, wife and husband visas, as well as other types of family visas for Australia.
According to DIAC the new biometrics have reduced crime by allowing authorities to discover illegal foreign fishers attempting identity crimes in North Darwin and better allow immigration officials to discern the difference between possible criminals and genuine travelers, allowing the legitimate visitor faster processing of entry visas.
The biometrics measure biological characteristics unique to each person such as finger scans and facial images. Senator Chris Evans, the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship says that the data collected will greatly enhance Australia’s identity management capacity and that all data collected would be shared only in accordance with the Privacy Act of 1988 and the disclosure provisions of the Migration Act if 1958.