Chinese legislators are considering new visa rules that would introduce fingerprinting of foreigners wanting to work or study in China. According to the official China Daily newspaper the government is considering a draft law which would allow the ministry of public security and the ministry of foreign affairs to put in place a system to gather biological identification data, such as fingerprints. The visa change would affect workers abroad, journalists and students wanting to stay six months or longer.

Peking University labour law expert Ye Jingyi said: "Such a regulation would be a warning to foreign employers that their freedom to leave the country would be restricted if they did not pay workers on time. It's also good news for workers because the rule could help prevent foreign bosses from maliciously delaying wages."

The US routinely fingerprints foreign visitors as part of the visa application process. Britain has also introduced biometric passports using facial recognition technology to beef up airport surveillance. China Daily pointed to Norway, South Korea and Switzerland as examples of countries that encode fingerprints in passports.

Posted by Chris Williams