UK turns to criticised but powerful China-style technology to hunt visa overstayers as Nigerians, Indians and South Africans face tougher checks

The UK Home Office is developing a live facial recognition programme that compares images captured by cameras against a pre-approved watchlist of people wanted by immigration authorities.

The technology could help officers locate individuals who have overstayed their visas, entered the country unlawfully, breached immigration conditions or become subject to removal orders.

The approach has similarities to facial recognition systems used in China, where the technology has attracted criticism over its role in mass surveillance and human rights abuses.

Amnesty International has documented how Chinese authorities allegedly use biometric surveillance networks for monitoring and discrimination.

The organisation described systems that involve “surveillance networks that are used for indiscriminate mass surveillance and use facial and ethnicity recognition software to discriminate” against a targeted demography.

The UK’s proposed expansion follows three trials of the technology at Holyhead port in north Wales between November 2025 and February 2026, according to Punch.

Punch reported that “Authorities have already conducted three trials of the technology at Holyhead port in north Wales between November 2025 and February 2026.“

It added: “The trials focused on identifying individuals travelling from Ireland who were subject to deportation orders or wanted over immigration-related criminal offences.“

The Home Office has since moved the programme from proof of concept to a pilot exercise and is considering further deployments.

Its policy identifies transport hubs, travel routes, ports and selected high-footfall events as possible locations for the technology.

Under the system, cameras compare faces captured within a defined area against an authorised watchlist. If the technology identifies a possible match, it generates an alert for trained staff to review.

Officers must conduct further identity checks before deciding whether to take action.

The system cannot independently establish someone’s identity, confirm an immigration breach or decide whether a person should be stopped, questioned, arrested or detained.

The Home Office also says it will not use the technology for general monitoring or speculative surveillance.

As expected, the proposed expansion has attracted criticism from privacy and migrant-rights organisations.

The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants has raised concerns about the use of facial recognition in public places, while the Open Rights Group has questioned the transparency of the plans, public consent and safeguards against discriminatory outcomes.

As reported by Liberty Investigates, William Webster, the Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner, also said he was not consulted on the immigration policy and that facial recognition used for immigration enforcement fell outside his remit.

His comments have raised concerns about who will oversee the technology as its use in immigration enforcement expands.

In a separate announcement concerning safeguards for police use of facial recognition, UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood stated, “Facial recognition technology has been the biggest breakthrough for catching criminals since DNA matching, already helping police take thousands of dangerous criminals off our streets“.

She added that while the benefits are clear, “we must ensure that its use is fair, safe and proportionate”.

To address public concerns, UK authorities have reportedly assured the public, according to Punch, that “under the proposed policy, individuals under 18 will not be included on facial recognition watchlists.”

The proposed expansion comes as the UK government seeks to strengthen immigration enforcement and locate people who have breached visa conditions or become subject to removal orders.

Nigerians, Indians, Pakistanis and South Africans are among the national communities with migration links to Britain, although the facial recognition policy does not single out these nationalities.

Figures from the UK Office for National Statistics show that Indian, Pakistani and Nigerian nationals regularly rank among the five largest non-EU nationalities arriving in the country for long-term migration.

In the year ending June 2025, India was the largest non-EU source of long-term immigrants, while Pakistan and Nigeria also featured among the leading nationalities.

The figures underline the importance of the UK as a destination for people from these countries seeking employment, education and other opportunities.

Under the Home Office’s facial recognition policy, people can be considered for inclusion on enforcement watchlists because of their immigration or legal circumstances, rather than their nationality only.

This includes individuals subject to deportation orders, people wanted under relevant court warrants and those actively sought by immigration authorities after failing to comply with immigration conditions.