BORIS JOHNSON has outlined his plans to introduce a points-based system for immigration should he become Prime Minister.
The prominent Brexiteer is the current front-runner to replace Theresa May as PM.
And speaking at the Conservative Party’s digital leadership hustings, Johnson outlined his plans for an Australian-style system that would help the United Kingdom take a tougher stance on “those who abuse our hospitality”.
“We must be much more open to high-skilled immigration such as scientists, but we must also assure the public that, as we leave the EU, we have control over the number of unskilled immigrants coming into the country,” he said.
“We must be tougher on those who abuse our hospitality. Other countries such as Australia have great systems and we should learn from them.”
A points-based system would see immigrants assessed against a number of factors including wealth, education, language fluency, employment prospects and connection to the country.
Non-citizens will be eligible to emigrate provided they score above an established threshold for those factors.
Australia currently employs a system that awards points based on age, employment record, qualification, and English-language skills.
Other pathways for immigrants, like immediate family and refugee status, would also remain in place.
If elected, Johnson plans to consult with the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to incorporate elements of this kind of points-based system into the UK’s new law.
The former foreign secretary was also keen to stress he would protect the rights of the three million EU nationals living in the UK, even if Britain departed without a deal in place.
“I will sort it out immediately and make sure that this issue is properly dealt with and millions of people can stop worrying,” he said.
The event saw Johnson reiterate his promise to take the UK out of the EU by October 31st “do or die” no he was keen to stress the likelihood of a no-deal Brexit was “a million-to-one against”.
“Let’s get this thing done as a proud representative democracy that asked the people of this country a question, that received a very clear answer, that promised faithfully to put that answer into effect and now we have got to do it.”
See More: Boris Johnson, Brexit, Immigration
