The New Zealand Herald reports that New Zealand and Australian immigration officials have begun sharing fingerprint information in an effort to prevent immigrants carrying false identification papers from crossing the border. The measure is primarily aimed at those applying for refugee status, a New Zealand immigration official for identity and biometrics said, and would not require everyone entering the country to be fingerprinted. The program will expand to include checks with the UK, Canada and the United States under the Five Country Conference, which will match fingerprints of persons of interest. The official said the system includes privacy safeguards and will help immigration strengthen border security and combat fraud early in the immigration process.
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