In an age where international travel is common and border traffic is constantly increasing, so do the risks and threats associated with terrorism and organised crime. The Merit Immigration and Border Management System (BMS) provides the essential components required to effectively manage immigration and border control at all entry points.

The system is characterised by high accessibility, quick response times, and full functionality in extreme load situations - all without compromising the quality, integrity and safety of border control. At a high level Merit BMS is comprised of the following off-the-shelf components:

The Tardis Passport System (Travel and Related Document Issuance System) is the passport and travel document issuing component of Merit BMS. It is used to support each step in the passport process from receiving an application through to data entry, research, authorisation, printing and quality control. It manages document stock control and provides reports and statistics on system usage so that office efficiency and productivity can be monitored and managed.

Similar to the passport system, the Merit Visa & Permit module is used to support each step in the visa or permit process, including payment receipt and lodgement of applications, data entry, research, authorisation, sponsorship management, printing and quality control. The module can be centrally administered to provide remote access to overseas posts, and provides reports and statistics on system usage.

The Movement Alert List of Merit BMS stores details about travel documents and people of concern to immigration departments and related law enforcement agencies such as Justice, Police and Customs authorities. The system facilitates various levels of movement alerts and security access restrictions, including overt and covert alerts, and provides tools for maintaining movement alerts and monitoring movement alert activity.

The Border Management component of Merit BMS comprises several functions including: Immigration Policy, Flight Management and Passenger Movement modules.

The Merit BMS Immigration Policy Engine manages the rules associated with the movement of passengers and can be tailored and aligned with countries’ specific immigration legislation and policies. On processing an arrival or departure, Immigration Policy rules are applied against passenger movements. Rules include alert checking, reconciliation against Advanced Passenger Information from airlines, unbalanced passenger movement, high-risk countries, visas and permit verification, and crew, transit and visitor policies.

Passenger movement management is the primary function of any border management solution. In conjunction with the Immigration Policy Engine, Merit BMS rigorously reviews each movement for document authenticity, movement alert hits, movement inconsistencies, and permit and visa holdings, along with any other rules required by immigration departments to ensure passengers are thoroughly screened at the border. Throughout the process, the Primary Line Officer is kept informed of any issues and can escalate the movement to a superior officer for secondary inspection at any stage in the process.

The Flight Management module of Merit BMS facilitates the entry of Advanced Passenger Information (API) prior to a flight arriving for immigration clearance, enabling pre-screening of passengers against the Movement Alert List, and ensuring accurate reconciliation of expected passengers against actual movements processed by Immigration.

The powerful features of Merit BMS are complemented by a suite of effective and informative reports and enquiries. It is critical that immigration departments, along with the agencies they work with, have insight into immigration and border activity, whether it be alert activity, movement history, travel document issues, over-staying visitors, or demographic information. Merit BMS provides the tools to quickly access relevant information.

Merit BMS can tightly integrate with existing immigration systems to complement the border management process. Critical data associated with monitoring and managing border movement may be maintained in existing systems, and Merit BMS can seamlessly integrate to these sources for validating immigration policy rules and processes.

In addition, Merit BMS interfaces to numerous document authentication solutions, highlighting the system’s independence from other technology. The system currently supports a variety of document scanners including Assuretec, Viisage’s Borderguard and Canadian Bank Note’s Falcon scanners and can be enhanced to operate with a client’s existing technology, as well as future biometric document technology, to ensure the system will be a solution for the future.

Merit provides the necessary services and support required to ensure successful implantation. For more information about our services see Services.