Yahoo Finance Boris Johnson's points-based immigration plans explained
Boris Johnson has promised to “restore democratic control” over immigration after Brexit if he wins the Tory leadership race.
Johnson, who now faces Jeremy Hunt in the final round of the race to be Britain’s next prime minister, said Britain should learn from the Australian points-based system.
The ‘great’ Australian policies Johnson supports
Johnson, who broadly supported large-scale immigration as London mayor and has previously called for an amnesty for illegal migrants, struck a less positive tone on Wednesday.
He announced he would incorporate parts of the “great” Australian points-based system into British law, saying it was based on contribution, fairness and control.
The reforms would include looking at whether migrants had firm job offers and could speak English, and would limit the ability to claim benefits immediately.
He said the government had to assure the public that they had control over the number of unskilled workers coming into the country, and be “tougher on those who abuse our hospitality.”
But as prime minister he would also be “much more open” to high-skilled workers like scientists, he added.
Johnson vowed to protect the rights of millions of EU nationals living in the UK, even if Britain left without a deal.
How a points-based system works
Points-based systems allow migrants to enter a country if they score enough ‘points’ by meeting criteria set by the government.
They are generally based on migrants’ attributes and characteristics like their field of work, skills, education or language ability. Johnson would change these criteria to meet his priorities.
It is different to either a free movement policy, which the EU has introduced, or an employer-led system where workers’ visas are tied to specific jobs.
British politicians have been calling for and promising an Australian, points-based system for years. Nigel Farage called for one during the EU referendum.
Mark Winterburn, a policy officer at London Councils who specialises in migration, said research showed the public supported a points-based system far more than a total cap on migrant numbers.
“Boris is tapping into something with real resonance,” he tweeted.
But Britain already has a ‘points-based system’
The strange part of the debate is that the UK already has what the government calls a partially “points-based system.”
The UK launched a new set of criteria for work and study visas for migrants from outside Europe in 2008.
Migrants can enter the UK if they secure enough ‘points’ in one of five categories: high-skilled or high-value workers, sponsored workers, students, temporary workers and low-skilled workers.
READ MORE: The shocking gap between rhetoric and reality on migration
European workers have been outside this system and enjoyed free movement, but the government is already planning to end EU free movement after Brexit.
The government is preparing to limit EU migration by subjecting them to the same rules as non-EU migrants. It has also proposed a controversial new £30,000 salary threshold for medium- and high-skilled workers, as well as one-year, low-skilled worker visas from certain countries.
Johnson’s proposals therefore appear to be tweaking current plans, rather than radically overhauling the whole system altogether.
Australia barely uses points—and wants more migration, not less
Only about 15% of migrants to Australia actually have to gain ‘points’ to enter, according to Migration Watch, a think tank that supports lower migration.
Australia began using points for some types of migration in the 1970s, but most migrants are allowed to enter on different grounds.
The Australian system’s purpose is also “to increase, not to reduce, immigration,” Migration Watch wrote in a blog post responding to Johnson’s plans on Thursday.
The problems with a points-based system
Migration Watch claims the UK government’s current partially points-based system for non-EU migrants has “failed to limit migration.”
Migration from outside Europe is now at its highest since 2004, despite the many criteria, restrictions and other government efforts to bring down numbers.
The government itself has ruled out introducing an entirely points-based system—which would mean removing migration targets and caps—as it did not allow enough control over numbers and makes population projections and planning much harder.
Johnson’s proposal has already come under fire as his system based only on points could in theory allow limitless migration into the UK, potentially letting in far more migrants than currently if they met the criteria, rather than having a cap on migrant flows.
READ MORE: Ford to slash 12,000 jobs across Europe
Meanwhile some liberal critics of the UK’s migration rules see them as unnecessarily harsh, rigid and restrictive, with too little room for humanity and discretion in decision-making over individual cases.
A recent report by parliamentary officials said the UK’s current system is “widely regarded...as unduly complex, burdensome, costly and ill-suited to the needs of its users.”
Migration Watch says the points system is “extremely complex”—even in Australia.
