The Home Secretary of the United Kingdom Prity Patel earlier this week made an announcement in the annual conference of the Conservative Party held in Manchester. He announced that the UK government would introduce the Australian Style points-based immigration system or PBS after Brexit happens. This clearly showcases that Britain wants a sturdier immigration system.
Patel also mentioned that she was accountable for taking things back in control once Britain moves out of the European Union. And for this reason, PBS was being introduced. The new system would entice skilled immigrants to the United Kingdom. Britain needs a system that would be best for Britain and also welcomes experts to the nation.
It is, however, unclear on how the system would be functional. And how would it be different from the immigration system that was pre-defined by Sajid Javid (former Home Secretary of UK) on white paper?
What is Australian PBS and How Will it be Implemented in the UK?
Australian PBS is undoubtedly well-known, but an honest review on how it will work in the UK is yet to be given by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC). The white paper set by Sajid Javid and the announcement made by Patel established an effort to define how visas will be allotted to the workers after the Brexit transition is over. Any new administration would impact both EU and non-EU migrants.
Javid’s approach was established around the minimum salary threshold limit for the immigrant workers with no overall cap on the number of workers.
The Australian PBS system doesn’t see whether a person has a job or not; instead, it examines their characteristics as an individual. However, one thing is clear that anyone who is looking forward to migrating to the United Kingdom will need to have an offer letter for a job. This point is something that the PBS system of Austria and New Zealand follows.
One of the senior immigration consultants at the Migrate UK said that the approach that Patel offers would let the UK government be in control of the borders. It’s because a skilled migrant’s visa would be granted to the individual directly by the central government instead of allotting it to the individual’s employer. With this approach, the lesser skilled migrants would be side-lined. And industries that are facing unavailability of skills would have more professional and skilled people in their companies.
MAC’s Review
The Home Secretary has already asked the MAC to review the functioning of Australian style PBS. The review will take into consideration the allocation of points to language proficiency, educational qualification, willingness to work, work experience, etc.
The salary mark will also be reviewed. The MAC is expected to prepare and submit a report on their review on how the Australian Style PBS could be implemented in the UK, by January 2020.