Before the pandemic started, international travel increased at a very rapid rate. In 2017, experts believed that about 1.4 billion tourists traveled that year, and that number is expected to grow in a couple of years. It only means that more and more people are coming to different ports. Hence, making a long queue at border control points.
Most people questioned at the border control center don’t really pose a threat to the country. Somehow, it only slows down the process of crossing to another country. Agents assigned to cross-check people at the border control has a really tough job. They have to make hundreds of judgment calls and probing questions to ask whether someone should be allowed to go into the country or not. With the threat of human trafficking, smuggling, and terrorist attack, there is a lot of pressure for the people who must keep their country safe.
The people managing the border control have a system in place to examine every traveler passing through them. However, most of them use their guts and experiences to really assess the situation. However, there could be a workaround for this. One that cannot be a win over with a beautiful smile, technology.
How Technology Helps you at Immigration Checkpoints?
Many countries like the United States, Singapore, Japan, Abu Dhabi have installed state of the art technology to their border control. It is to reduce the waiting time of all citizens and tourists coming in and out of the country. Experts say that the average waiting time of these people at the immigration checkpoints went down by 13% despite the huge number of travelers coming in and out. Reducing waiting times is one of the benefits of improving the airport experience, and these technological advancements helped enables such improvement. Here is some technology that can help you cross the border efficiently as possible.
Mobile Passport Control
Whenever we go, we can’t afford to touch our phones. We rely too much on our mobile apps for updates, work, weather, and the like. It has become part of our daily lives. When we travel, we use different apps to help us keep organized. Our phones mostly have our boarding passes, hotel reservations, and maps to help us find the way. As technology improves, having an app dedicated to airport use may help you cross Customs and Immigration fast and easy, and they call it Mobile Passport Control or MPC. So far, it is only available for 25 airports in the United States. The app lets U.S. citizen and Canadian travelers to expedite their entry to the U.S.
For it to work, you have to download the app. You will be directed to a page to create a profile and key in your passport details. Before your departure, you have to type in your arrival airport, airlines, and the app will ask for a selfie and some security questions. When you successfully input your data, you will receive an email, including a QR code, that will be presented to the immigration officer to finalize inspection and entry into the U.S. This app helps cut down the long lines and giving you an express entry to the country.
Pre-clearance
One thing that helps passengers cut queues in immigration is the pre-clearance procedure implemented by several airports. A pre-clearance involves a traveler clearing customs procedure in any country around the world. Most especially, countries belong to the third world before their departure. According to research, about a million passenger per year is targeted for pre-clearance to be inspected and check for security purposes. One of the main benefits of pre-clearance is it improves airport control.
With this being implemented, countries were able to intercept risk passengers beforehand without incurring deportation costs. Airports that allows pre-clearance also become more effective in regards to immigration and security concern. With the use of pre-clearance technology, it can also reduce the number of passengers handled at large gateways during arrivals.
With the rise of air travel in recent years, the pre-clearance program is being expanded, adding more across the globe, such as Japan, Europe, and Latin America. It is to further enhance the function of these airports to meet the standards of the international and regional transport system.
Iris and Facial Biometrics
Since July 2020, Singapore has transformed its airport into a more tech-friendly facility. The Immigration& Checkpoints Authority or ICA has been proactive enough to implement a safe, secure, and efficient immigration process by putting contactless immigration checkpoints with the help of technology today. Iris patterns and facial recognition will replace fingerprint identification during the immigration procedure. If in the event the authentication is unsuccessful, travelers will need to clear immigration using their fingerprint identification.
It is their way of replacing passports with a much more complex kind of technology by introducing facial features as their main point in verifying travelers at all its border points. According to research, iris patterns have a high relatively rate compared to fingerprints and considered as reliable for identification purposes. Having this in hand, enhance the efficiency of any airports operational activity, while maintaining the high standard of the secure verification process for every traveler and creating a hassle-free immigration procedure for all.
Digital Departure Card
The solution Australia has thought to expedite the immigration process is implementing a digital departure card. This removes the need to write all travelers’ information on a piece of paper before leaving the country. This digital card is built-in to an app made by Brisbane Airport, and passenger must enter their personal information before their departure. This information is now generated to a QR code that can be scanned and printed at a dedicated kiosk. Once done, the passenger must sign the card and present it to a border control officer. According to Australian border control, it will save time, and help passengers feel relax during immigration formalities.
We cannot deny that technology has really affected the way our lives work. It makes us feel at ease and secure at the same time. However, despite its advantages and key benefits, we should not rely on them too much. Security awareness is still the key to being safe and secure, especially since our data has been collected.
