Mumbai: The UK government has announced a new points-based immigration system that will bar unskilled migrants from countries outside the European Union and help highly skilled professionals like scientists, doctors and entrepreneurs from India and other non-European Union countries to settle in the UK.

The new system, to be operational from the beginning of the New Year, will effectively bar thousands of potential newcomers from countries such as India and Pakistan, the government said.

Under the new score-based system, applicants will have to gain a sufficient number of points based on a balance between the skills of applicants and skills needed in the UK, as determined by government research and statistics, UK minister for immigration Liam Byrne said.

The new system will have a five-tier structure and different skill levels against the old system that uses more than 80 different routes for entry into the country.

The first tier covering highly skilled migrants, including scientists, doctors and entrepreneurs, will become effective from the beginning of 2008 and those entering the UK under this tier would not require a job offer.

The tier two will comprise of nurses, teachers and engineers who have job offers in shortage areas while Tier three will cover low-skilled workers such as one-contract construction workers and catering staff. Migrants in this category will require an employer to sponsor them.

Tier four for students will follow at the beginning of 2009. Students covered under this tier are those paying tuition in the UK. A system of sponsorship by employers and educational institutions to ensure compliance with the immigration rules will be introduced at the beginning of next year.

Tier five will include working holiday makers as well as professional athletes and artists. Under the scheme, an applicant will need at least 75 points to be considered for a work visa. The points will be based on qualification, age and previous earnings.

Home secretary Jacqui Smith said with record levels of immigration into the UK and considering its effects on British communities, the authorities have set out rules that will allow entry of people into the UK based on youth and academic achievements and the ability to speak English.

``Migration brings great social and economic benefits to this country,'''''''' Smith in a speech to the London School of Economics.  ``But people expect it to be managed robustly and in support of Britain''''s national interests,'''''''' she added.

The plan is part of a wider effort by prime minister Gordon Brown''''s government to fend off criticism from the opposition Conservative Party that a surging population is straining hospitals, schools and police.

A record 591,000 immigrants arrived in the UK last year, with more than two-thirds coming from outside the European Union, according to a report from the Office for National Statistics published November 15.