Britain’s new Australian-style immigration points system goes live today
BRITAIN’S new Australian-style immigration points system goes live today.
The scheme, which will stop unrestricted EU access, comes in four years after the Brexit referendum.
Home Secretary Priti Patel says it will allow the best and brightest from around the world into the UK.
Applications for the new skilled worker visa open today, meaning those who meet the tough requirements could start work from January 1, 2021.
Points will be awarded for job offers at the appropriate skill level, knowledge of English and a minimum salary of £25,600.
Skilled worker visas will be awarded to those who gain enough points.
The rules will ensure employers can recruit the most highly qualified global talent.
And it will finally end EU freedom of movement, which allows any of 500million Europeans to enter the UK regardless of whether they have a job.
A promise delivered
FOR decades the British people have repeatedly identified immigration as one of the most important issues facing this country.
This was evident during the EU Referendum in 2016 when the British people voted to leave the EU.
This Government promised to end free movement, to take back control of our borders and to introduce a new points-based immigration system. Today, we have delivered on that promise.
Our new points-based immigration system has opened for applications and free movement with the EU legally ends on 31 December.
From today, skilled workers from around the globe will be able to apply to come to the UK if they earn enough points. People gain points from; having a job offer, speaking English to a required standard, and meeting the right salary threshold for the job they are coming here to do.
This simple, effective and flexible system will ensure employers can recruit the skilled workers they need, whilst also encouraging employers to train and invest in the UK’s workforce – particularly those who have been impacted by coronavirus. We are also opening routes for those who have an exceptional talent or show exceptional promise in the fields of engineering, science, tech or culture.
Taking back control of our borders is not just about introducing a new legal immigration system. It is about addressing Britain’s broken approach to tackling illegal migration and asylum claims – something I have continued to speak publicly about.
It is about simplifying a system that, for decades, has become complex and riddled with legal challenges.
I will also bring forward legislation to address many of the failures and anomalies in our broken immigration system, so that we can stand by those who need our help, while taking a firm approach against those who seek to abuse the system.
For the first time in decades, the British government will rightly be in control of who comes to this country.
- By Priti Patel, Home Secretary
Applications must be made online along with proof of identity.
Fees range from £610 to £1,408 and there is a healthcare surcharge of £624 a year.
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Applicants must also show they can support themselves, with at least £1,270 available.
The skilled worker visas last for up to five years.
Other routes include a global talent visa for people with exceptional skills, an innovator visa for those establishing a business, a start-up visa and an intra-company transfer route.
The Sun Says
WE welcome Britain’s new points-based immigration system, launched today by Priti Patel.
The new programme is precisely what Brexit-voting Sun readers wanted: it will let us welcome the brightest and best — including doctors, nurses and carers — to the UK based on what they have to offer, not where they come from.
Meanwhile, unskilled migrants from the EU and beyond will be filtered out, easing the pressure on wages, the NHS and housing.
But they will get more points for working in an industry short of labour.
We’re pleased, too, that it’s all been sorted in time for the end of the transition period, giving businesses ravaged by Covid some time to prepare.
If this is what nimble Brexit Britain looks like, we like it already.
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