Theresa May urges government to ‘move away’ from points-based immigration system

Theresa May has urged the government to “move away” from the current points-based immigration system and give greater “discretion” to immigration officers.

The former prime minister, now Baroness May of Maidenhead, has been a longtime critic of the approach, pointedly refusing to implement it as PM and later criticising it when the system was endorsed by Boris Johnson, during his tenure in 10 Downing Street.

Under the UK’s points-based immigration system, with the exception of Irish citizens, anyone coming to the UK for work must meet a specific set of requirements for which they will score points. Visas are then awarded to those who gain enough points.

Speaking in the House of Lords on Thursday, Baroness May suggested that the system is open to “abuse”.

May, who also served as home secretary from 2010-2016, said: “One way to bring down net migration is to ensure there is no abuse in the visa system – the white paper touches on this, particularly in relation to student visas.

“A key way to ensure there is no abuse is to move away from a strict points based system and give greater discretion to immigration officers.”

She added: “Is the government doing that, and if not, why not?”

Home Office minister Lord Hanson of Flint responded: “The government wants to try to operate a points-based system, but it also wants to just put some more rigour into the student post-graduate approach and also to look at the the fees around that, that come into the United Kingdom in the first place.

“So the white paper includes a shortening of the period after graduation; it includes a points-based system examining how and what skills are required; it gives a commission to the Migration Advisory Committees that we’re establishing to look at what the skills shortages are.”

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