Labour introduced an Australian style points based system in February 2008 (see the article
here). Details of the system available
here.
On 29 February 2008, a new immigration system was launched to ensure that only those with the right skills or the right contribution can come to the United Kingdom to work or study.
The points-based system enables us to control migration more effectively, tackle abuse and identify the most talented workers.
The system has three key elements:
* It combines more than 80 previous work and study routes to the United Kingdom into five tiers.
* Points are awarded according to workers' skills, to reflect their aptitude, experience and age and also the demand for those skills in any given sector. This allows the United Kingdom to respond flexibly to changes in the labour market.
* It is a fair, transparent and objective system which enables potential migrants to assess their likelihood of making a successful application - this means that it should help to reduce the number of failed applications.