The Editor
The Times

7 September 2016
Sir,
The insistence by ‘Vote Leave’ that a points-based system was the way to control immigration is absurd (“Tory backlash after May rules out points system for migrants”, Sep 6). It was equally absurd to claim that voters had supported the specifics of a points-based system, rather than the general principle of reducing migration. Points-based systems are intended to maximise selective migration inflow with minimum scrutiny of individual migrants, using a tick-box system without personal contact with immigration officials. Much is in the hands of employers. Typically these systems are adopted by countries, such as Australia, that wish to expand their population size. The way is now open for a more rigorous system of immigration control with much closer scrutiny on the issue of work permits.

If that longer process makes employers think again about an automatic recourse to overseas labour, and consider training the domestic workforce instead, so much the better. Easy access to foreign labour must be one of the root causes of our low productivity and has certainly discouraged investment in agriculture and food processing.

David Coleman
Emeritus professor of demography, Oxford University

published