How Australia’s Points System Works

How Australia’s Points System Works???

There is an immigration system somewhere around the world that allows an international migration to enter into their country for every 3 minutes. This is what happens in Australia everyday. But what would you call that system? Would you call it permissive or lax?

Australia’s points system, which they use in their immigration procedures has been in the centre of attention lately, as after the Out vote in the EU referendum that happened in June, it came out that the United Kingdom could introduce an immigration system that could be ”Australian-style points based.”

To most individuals from the United Kingdom, the mere mention of Australia has signalled a fair, albeit tough approach when it comes to matters of immigration. The idea that the points system of Canberra would be adapted by the UK caught up and became popular in the 2005 British General Election when the losing Conservative Campaign of Mr Michael Howard firmly placed the attention on the issue of immigration. This includes the billboards that say ”Are you thinking what we’re thinking?”

”I also understand concern over immigration controls,” responded Mr Tony Blair, who was fighting for his 3rd term as the Labour prime minister at that time. ” We will put in place strict controls that work. They will be part of our 1st legislative programme if we are re-elected on May 5. These controls will include the type of points system used in Australia, for example, to help ensure our economy gets the skills we need.”

Now that the word ‘Australia’ is now included in the conversation, the policy proved to be very catchy with a lot of focus groups as there are a lot of people who have varying views of how Australia really deals with the very delicate issue of migration, and that comes from all the confusion regarding talks about migrants and refugees.

A lot of people all over the world think that when it comes to immigration, Australia is very, very tough. And to an extent, they really are. However, they are only tough when it comes to illegal immigration, especially to those who are paying people smugglers. When it comes to this, the Australian society has been quite clear and specific. Its views were reflected well by then Australian Prime Minister John Howard back in 2001: ”We will decide who comes to this country and the circumstances in which they come.”

The same message was uttered by Mr Tony Abbott’s slogan which ultimately won him the 2013 elections: ”Stop the boats.” There is no denying that the message rang loud and clear with the voters, as it was one of the reasons why it led him to victory. The ones that came before him were regarded as too weak when it comes to the issue until the debate turned into heated discussions as to how it should really be handled.

But regardless of that, a lot of Australia’s main immigration policies remained to be unmistakably liberal and bipartisan. Both the Labor and Liberal parties are in full support of the existing policy which would allow 20,000 refugees to be resettled in the country every year. The prime minister of the UK, Mr David Cameron, has offered to take the same number of refugees from Syria for a period of 4 years. The numbers in Australia is more striking if you think about it, as the proportionate figure in the UK would be 50,000 a year. For points-based immigration, a target is going to be set every year and right now, it is set to 200,000, which in Britain, has the equivalent of 500,000. Unlike the United Kingdom, there are a number of Australian visas made available for students, and as of last year, is more than 300,000. Students also have the right to work part-time.

If you decrease the number of migrants, then it means you are also going to lower down the number of employment. A very obvious sign of that would be crops in fields, remaining unpicked, until they rot.

So why is Australia, which has the reputation to be so tough on immigration, actually considered to be liberal? That is because, it is its economy, in terms of students most especially. For most states in Australia, higher education, is actually 4^th of their biggest export. It is also a very important form of their soft diplomacy, with the growing economies of China and India, both in the same region, it would only make sense for Australia to offer a safe place to provide higher education that is seen to be high in quality and world-class. Not only that, great memories and good experiences make for a great student life, and they are keys to a solid foundation for relationships in the future.

What actually drives the points-based system of Australia is its economic case. For 24 years, Australia;s growth is nothing but steady and consistent. It has brought both labour and jobs shortages – the result of a fairly rigid labour market, skills shortages, and the unwillingness of some Australians to do certain jobs. So these shortages can be filled, Australia awards points for age, as well as recognised qualifications in educational and professional platforms, as well as their skills in speaking the English language. Crucially however, having a job is not a major factor in the application of the individual. The top 5 countries of origin for permanent migrants to the country are China, India, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, and the Philippines, not necessarily in that order.

Over all, Australia’s points-based system is not quite the total control of immigration that is being touted by the Brexit camp. Outside the EU of course, Britain could set the numbers of migrants it wanted (or needed) to allow into the country however, it is the economy that ultimately dictates that. Whether they decide to leave or stay, the vegetables still need to be picked and the potatoes are still going to need someone to harvest them. Workers from Easter Europe don’t just do that work simply because they can. They do it simply because there are no workers from the UK who would do that. Cut the number of migrants and you are also going to inevitably cut employment in certain sectors. The hospitality trade greatly depend on foreign workers, and a large number of them are citizens from European countries. If the British would like to stay at a hotel for their weekend breaks, restaurants and town-centre pubs are going to be needing their staff.

Migration to Australia

Beyond the EU, the demand for labour may somehow go down a little as the economy braces for a knock however, it will still stay strong. Workers from a bigger range of nations are going to come to the United Kingdom, and it will most probably see a growing number of migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India, as the numbers from these countries are probably going to become dominant again, as how it was prior to Britain joining the Common Market. Again, this is not quite what the UK Independence party-voting Eurosceptics have in mind when they plan to vote Leave for the points-based system Australian-style.

This is what the EU debate really is: The connection between high migration and a strong, thriving economy. Both need each other in order to grow. The trouble is if there are not enough people to do the jobs which are needed, both wealth and growth will not be produced. This is why, through a range of channels, Australia and the United Kingdom have a lot of migrants. And this in itself, is already a sign of success in the economy.

Source: www.ft.com