📊 Points-based systems
Applicants score points. A country can give more points for the skills it needs, so it chooses migrants rather than letting anyone in.
Managing Trade, Migration and Tourism » Managing Migration in a Named Country
What you'll learn this session
Study time: 30 minutes
Edexcel spec: 8.3 (b)
- Why governments try to manage long-term migration
- Four approaches: points-based systems, quotas, border controls and integration policies
- How the United Kingdom uses these approaches, as a named country
- The strengths and weaknesses of each approach, for exam answers
Remember, this is part of the optional Globalisation and Migration topic. In Paper 2 Section C you answer only one of the three global issues.
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Unlock This CourseWhy manage migration?
Earlier lessons showed that migration brings benefits and costs to the countries people move to. Most governments want the benefits, such as workers with useful skills, and want to limit the costs, such as pressure on housing or public services. So they make rules about who can come, how many, and what happens once they arrive.
This lesson is about long-term migration: people who move to live in a country for years, not just for a holiday. You need to know the different approaches and be able to describe them for one named country. We will use the United Kingdom (UK).
Key terms:
- Points-based system: a way of choosing migrants where applicants earn points for things like a job offer, skills and language, and must reach a set total to be allowed in.
- Quota: a fixed limit on the number of migrants or visas allowed in a year.
- Border control: checks on people and documents at a country's borders, ports and airports.
- Integration policy: a rule or service that helps migrants to settle in and become part of society, such as learning the language.
- Sponsor: an approved employer that offers a migrant a job and supports their visa application.
Four approaches
🔢 Quotas
The government sets a maximum number each year. Once the limit is reached, no more visas are given in that group until the next year.
🛂 Border controls
Officials check passports and visas, and can refuse entry. Checks can also happen after arrival, for example when an employer must check someone's right to work.
🤝 Integration policies
These help migrants join in, for example by teaching the language and explaining laws and customs. They aim to help migrants and local people live well together.
Case study: the United Kingdom
The UK is a popular destination for migrants, and its governments have used all four approaches.
Points-based system
The UK introduced a points-based system for people from outside Europe in 2008. From 1 January 2021 (free movement ended at the end of 2020) it used one points-based system for almost everyone from abroad, including EU citizens, who wants to work long term. For the main Skilled Worker visa, applicants must:
- have a job offer from an approved employer, called a licensed sponsor
- have a job at the required skill level
- speak English to the required standard
- be paid at least the minimum salary for the job
Points are given for each of these, and the applicant needs enough points to qualify. The system makes sure migrants have a job to go to and that the country's skill needs are met.
Quotas
The UK has not set one overall quota for all migrants. However, for some years from 2011 there was a yearly limit on the number of skilled work visas. Quotas are also used for particular groups. For example, the UK has run resettlement schemes that offer a set number of places to refugees. A quota gives the government direct control of numbers, but it can leave employers short of workers when the limit is reached.
Border controls
The UK Border Force checks passports and visas at airports, ports and the Channel Tunnel. Officers can refuse entry to people without the right documents. Inside the country, employers must check that a person has the right to work, and landlords in England must check the right to rent. The aim is to stop people entering or staying without permission.
Integration policies
Migrants who want to settle long term, and later apply for British citizenship, must show they speak English. They must also pass the Life in the UK test, which covers British history, laws and customs. Councils and charities run English language classes, and new citizens take part in a citizenship ceremony. These policies help migrants find jobs and make friends, so they feel part of their new community.
Strengths and weaknesses
✅ Strengths
Points-based system: fills skill gaps and gives clear rules.
Quotas: the government controls numbers.
Border controls: stops entry without permission.
Integration: helps migrants and communities get on.
❌ Weaknesses
Points-based system: needed migrants on low pay may not qualify.
Quotas: can cause worker shortages.
Border controls: costly, and cannot stop every case, such as people who overstay a visa.
Integration: takes time and money, and results are slow to show.
Common mistakes
- Writing about migration in general. The spec asks for one named country, so give details about it.
- Naming a policy without saying how it works. Say what the rule is and what it is meant to achieve.
- Mixing up quotas and points. A quota limits how many, and a points system decides who.
- Repeating the push and pull factors or the impacts of migration. Here the focus is on how governments respond.
- Inventing figures. Use only facts you are sure of, or describe the policy without numbers.
Exam-style question
(a) State what is meant by a quota. [1 mark]
(b) For a named country, describe one approach used to manage long-term migration. [3 marks]
(c) Explain one weakness of using border controls to manage migration. [2 marks]
Model answer
(a) A fixed limit on the number of migrants or visas allowed in a year (1).
(b) The UK uses a points-based system (1). Applicants for a Skilled Worker visa need a job offer from an approved sponsor (1) and must meet requirements such as skill level and English language, so only migrants who fit its needs are accepted (1).
(c) Border controls are expensive because many officers and systems are needed (1). They cannot stop everyone, as some people enter legally and then stay after their visa ends (1).
Exam tip
In a "named country" question, write the country's name in your first sentence. Then give one specific detail, such as the Skilled Worker visa or the Life in the UK test, to earn the extra mark.