The UK has taken the first significant step down the road towards rolling out a controversial new national ID card system.

Foreign students applying to study in Britain and those entering on marriage visas will now have to obtain a biometric identity card.

The Home Office expects 50,000 to 60,000 students will be affected in the first phase between now and March.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said the scheme would demonstrate "our commitment to preventing immigration abuse and protecting the prosperity of the UK".

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She added: "In time identity cards for foreign nationals will replace paper documents and give employers a safe and secure way of checking a migrant's right to work and study in the UK."

However, the move has been criticised by opponents of a national identity card scheme.

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