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YVR adds fingerprint verification
Vancouver International Airport’s self-service border control solution, BORDERXPRESS, is the first in Canada to be updated to meet the Government of Canada’s expanded biometric screening requirements, coming into effect March 31, 2019.
March 5, 2019 By Wings Staff
BORDERXPRESS technology was developed by ITS, an independent business unit within Vancouver International Airport (YVR). Since 2009, ITS has sold over 1,600 kiosks at 42 airport and seaport locations around the world, helping more than 250 million passengers clear the border safely and securely.
Under this expansion, all Primary Inspection Kiosks at major Canadian airports will require fingerprint verification for certain travellers. Primary Inspection Kiosks are biometric-enabled kiosks designed to automate the border clearance process.
“The Government of Canada has stated that the collection of biometrics is a critical aspect of their immigration program and one that allows for accuracy in establishing a traveller’s identity,” said Steve Hankinson, VP, innovation and planning, Vancouver Airport Authority. “Our BORDERXPRESS Primary Inspection Kiosks are the first to be adapted to accommodate the needs of the Canadian government while also providing a border control solution that unites security, efficiency and innovation to transform the passenger experience, which is ultimately what drives our team forward.”
Under the Government of Canada’s biometric expansion, Primary Inspection Kiosks at major Canadian airports will now require fingerprint verification for all temporary resident visa, study and work permit applicants (excluding U.S. nationals), as well as all permanent residence applicants.
YVR explains biometrics, including fingerprints and photographs of the face, significantly increase the security of the border by collecting physical characteristics of an individual which when captured, can be used to verify the identity or check against other entities in the database. Biometrics also help airports by reducing passenger wait times, according to YVR, improving passenger flow and operational efficiency. More than 70 countries around the world use the collection of biometrics as part of their immigration programs.
BORDERXPRESS kiosks use a two-step process to expedite the border clearance process, which the operation states to reduce passenger wait times by more than 60 per cent. BORDERXPRESS provides better exception handling, is fully accessible to persons with disabilities, and can be configured with up to 35 different languages.
