Some countries that use points-based immigration systems are the United Kingdom (see main article), Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Germany.
[3][6] The new system favoured youth, education, experience and fluency in English or French, i.e., broad human capital as opposed to a specific job offer or job-specific skills.
[3] The application process was again revamped due to the gap between a foreign candidate and an employer and reduced the points for job offer, they also changed the system to an invitation to immigrate method that allows an open expression of interest with the option the pool of candidates can remain a year or two in the system to meet the frequently published "lottery point" and get invited.
[12] In 1972, the Labor Government elected in Australia decided migrants would be granted a visa based on personal attributes and ability to contribute to Australian society.
[3] Like Canada, Australia switched to the points-based system as it was transitioning out of its history of race-based (Briton-focused, white-only) immigration policy.
[3][13] In 2017, Australia's points-based system was cited as an inspiration and was raised as an elegant point during discussions of immigration policy in the United Kingdom in the context of Brexit.
Known as the Complementarity Assessment Framework (COMPASS), it was put into effect from September 2023 for foreigners intending to work in Singapore under an Employment Pass (EP).
This led Madeleine Sumption of the Migration Observatory at Oxford University to claim that "pure" point systems "don't work.
[23] Under the legislation, a maximum of 140,000 points-based immigrant visas would be issued per fiscal year, with spouses and minor children of the principal applicant being counted against the 140,000 cap.
[23] The points system proposed in the act would prioritize "individuals who are already U.S.-educated, trained in STEM fields, highly-compensated, English-fluent, and young" while disadvantaging "women, people who work in the informal economy (including those who do unpaid work), individuals with family ties to U.S. citizens but without formal education and employment history, middle-aged and older adults, and applicants from less-developed countries.