IT system integrating distant national border controls has reduced visa abuse across the borderless Schengen Area of continental Europe. The Visa Information System is used by the European Commission to enables states in the Schengen Area to share information in near real time. In 1985, the Schengen Area includes almost all European Union states apart from the UK and Ireland. It enables people to move freely between signatory countries once granted entry. By the country that receives the application, it is important visa applications are properly checked.
The visa shopping was common, this happened when foreign nationals, rejected in their attempts to gain entry to one country that got in by gaining entry to another and crossing borders. From the nation were not shared with the others, this was made possible when the reasons for their rejection from the nation were not shared with others. From HP, the VIS system was created by the IT services firm Steria and uses hardware. It is built on an Oracle database. The different border links to all the Schengen states to a central system to ensure all the information is shared and applications that can be cross checked. With as many as 11,000 applications processed in a day, since the implementation of VIS in October 2011 has processed over one million visa applications.
The general Manager of Group Steria SCA, Francois Enaud stated the project demonstrates that although challenging large-scale, multi-stakeholder, integrated IT systems can be successfully implemented and deliveres allowing a multiple countries to work together smoothly and easily from the outset. He said that they’ve already work with the governments of most European countries, however this contract has proved their ability to help the governments work together efficiently.
The Joanne Taylor, directors of SAS’s public security unit said that initiatives can have huge benefits but are often difficult to implement due to red tape. Speaking to computer weekly in July about a business analytics software for a cross border, data sharing initiative in the Europe to fight gun crime. They have shown that the technology is not barrier. The barrier is now that the fact that it needs legislative backing from EU saying that countries have to use it.
REFERENCE:
http://www.computerweekly.com/news/2240163059/IT-system-cuts-visa-abuse-across-Schengen-Area
