Management Toolkit

Siemens mops up immigration IT contract

Tags:
Immigration

Kable

Published: 22 Feb 2006 16:40 GMT

The UK's Immigration and Nationality Directorate has welcomed back an IT supplier which was at the centre of its previous computer failures.

The Home Office has commissioned Siemens Business Services to run IT systems for processing work permit and immigration application fees, it said on 21 February, 2006.

The £6.7m outsourcing contract marks a return to the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) for the supplier. The directorate replaced SBS with Atos Origin to run its main IT operations in 2004 after it was forced to shelve a failing £77m computer system.

Among its activities, the IND charges people who make applications to extend their permits to remain and work in the UK. SBS will process these fees and handle cashiering services at four public enquiry offices in Croydon, Liverpool, Glasgow and Birmingham.

At present cashiering is carried out in house at these centres, but it will be outsourced to SBS under the three year deal. The service for these centres is expected to start during summer 2006.

Two SBS teams, one in Durham and the other in Sheffield, will process the 'leave to remain' and work permit applications.