MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

British ID cards become mandatory for foreign nationals

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith

The British government began its identity card program for foreign nationals this week, six years after heated debate over whether the costly plan is an effective tool against terrorism, identity theft and welfare fraud.

The last time Britain had ID cards was at the end of World War II. The program will start with roughly 50,000 foreign students and spouses of permanent residents who will receive cards if they qualify for visa extensions. Other foreign nationals living and working in Britain will not be immediately affected, but they will eventually need cards as the program is expanded. Officials have not provided details about the national plan, although airport workers are expected to need cards next year out of security concerns. Government officials say the cards, expected to be used by about 90% of Britain's foreign nationals within seven years, should provide a tamperproof way to determine a person's true identity and whether they are eligible to work in Britain. They say they will be more accurate and harder to forge than passports. "This will give employers a safe and secure way of checking a migrant's right to work and study in the UK," said Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, who estimates the cost of the program at 5.1 billion pounds. The plan has drawn fire from opposition lawmakers who say it will be costly and unproductive and from privacy advocates who complain that the British government is compiling an unprecedented database on British residents. This is a huge infringement of our privacy," said Mairi Clare Rogers, a spokeswoman for the Liberty group.