Foreigners Identification Portal (FIP)

Prelims: Current events of National and International Importance

Why is news?

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has revised the method of collecting and uploading biometric data of illegal migrants due to technical challenges in the earlier process.

• Foreigners Identification Portal (FIP) – It was the portal to collect biometric and biographic details of illegally staying foreigners.
• Launch – 2018
• Nodal authority for FIP implementation – Bureau of Immigration through FRROs

FRROs (Foreigners Regional Registration Offices) are the field offices of the Bureau of Immigration under Ministry of Home Affairs and are responsible for registration, visa services, monitoring, and immigration-related matters of foreign nationals residing in India.

Recent updation

• Data collection and management – Scanners, computers, and webcams will be installed in police stations, detention centres, and border outposts to record and upload migrant biometrics directly to FIP.
• Manual scanning caused data mismatches as states/UTs faced difficulties digitizing fingerprints taken on paper, creating gaps between manual records and digital data on the FIP.
• Shift from NAFIS to IVFRT’s district modules – Instead of using NAFIS devices, fingerprint scanners under the District Police Module (DPM) of the Immigration, Visa, Foreigners Registration & Tracking (IVFRT) system will now be used.
• Earlier, FIP planned to use NAFIS machines for inter-operable biometric data across agencies.

NAFIS (National Automated Fingerprint Identification System) a centralized biometric database launched by the National Crime Records Bureau to modernize criminal identification in India.

• The Bureau of Immigration will oversee data migration from FIP to IVFRT, ensuring no transfer of migrant data to the NAFIS criminal repository.
• Nationality verification post biometric capture – Once data is uploaded to the FIP, the Ministry if External Affairs will process cases for nationality verification to enable deportation.
• Significance – To streamline and fast-track deportation by digitizing and standardizing data collection,
• It also aims to effectively identify, document, and deport illegal migrants with minimal errors and delays.

Reference

The Indian Express| Centre’s revised procedure for foreigners ID portal