Home Secretary commissions the MAC to review points based system

5th September 2019

On 3rd September, Priti Patel commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to review the Australian immigration system and their similar systems and advise on what best practice can be adopted and used in the UK. This commission is in conjunction with the previous commission to the MAC on 24th June, by the then Home Secretary Sajid Javid, to consider salary thresholds in the context of the future immigration system.

As part of their current work, the MAC has further been asked to consider:

  • How additional flexibility could be added to the operation of salary thresholds through the awarding of “points” to prospective migrants for the attributes that they possess; and the degree to which points in one area should be “tradeable” to make up for a lack of points in another.
  • Which migrant characteristics should be prioritised within the immigration system in order to produce the most beneficial outcomes for the UK.
  • What best practice can be learnt from international comparators, including the Australian immigration system, to strengthen the UK labour market.

The MAC has been asked to report by January 2020. We will continue to keep our clients up to date on any further developments and would welcome participation once the MAC issues their fall for evidence.