Over 350,000 denied entry after eye scan

Salah Al Deberky / 5 September 2013

As many as 351,318 expatriates have been deported and denied access to the UAE when they tried to re-enter the country after undergoing an eye scan at the country’s entry points since the enforcement of the iris recognition system in 2003 and until the end of last December, the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs announced on Wednesday.

The announcement was made at a symposium on the role of IT in developing the corporate performance hosted by the Dubai Government Excellence Programme (DGEP). The attendees included Abdulla Al Shaibani, Secretary-General of the Dubai Executive Council; Ahmed bin Humaidan, Director-General of Dubai Smart government; Major-General Mohammed Ahmed Al Mirri, Director-General of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs - Dubai; and Dr Ahmed Al Nusairat, general coordinator of DGEP.

The forum saw a number of lectures delivered by experts and specialists in the fields of innovation, government excellence and management.
“UAE  came on top of the list in the Middle East and Africa, and was a runner-up worldwide in the index of government use of IT among 144 countries included in the world report of IT and communications for 2013 issued by the World Economic Forum Davos, ahead of 30 countries in 2012 report”, Tayeb Al Rais, Secretary-General of the Awqaf and Minors Affairs foundation said.

He said he is sure the top position in IT and Communication is not very far for the UAE, and we will hold the top position by next year. By implementing the e-government initiatives government transactions round the clock have become easier, simple and highly efficient, Al Rais noted.