Reports suggest that Immigration New Zealand may be set to introduce biometrics into the national immigration process.

Screening measures for people emigrating to New Zealand may soon be enforced as a result of a Yemeni man being deported from the country which placed considerable pressure on immigration officials last year.

The man, who had links to the 9/11 attacks, had been banned from all countries which had his biometric information on record. However, due to the absence of screening procedures, New Zealand immigration was still possible for the man in question once he has changed his name.

As a result, the government is reportedly considering a NZ$100 million project that will see biometric screening introduced to the country’s immigration borders.

Statistically, the use of biometric identification is instrumental in identifying foreigners that attempt to enter a country illegally. For example, Britain, a country which relies heavily on biometrical information, was able to detect over 5,300 cases of identity fraud over the last three years, whist New Zealand has uncovered a mere 316.

Moreover, biometric screening is geared specifically towards catching fraudulent migrants before they are able to cross the border into another country, whereas the vast majority of immigrants who enter New Zealand illegally are discovered once they are already onshore.

“At that stage, we would conduct our identity establishment work, which we do currently, but with the benefit of biometric decision-support tools," said identity programme manager Arron Baker.

“The journey to New Zealand continues and as passengers travel, check in and board, we are proposing to deploy mobile or wireless identity-verification capabilities at key control points on the journey. Finally, identity verification and biometric enrolment for first-time travellers is envisaged at the New Zealand border on arrival.”