As President Trump embraces a proposal to sharply cut immigration to the United States, supporters of the plan point to the example of Australia and its “merit-based” system for approving new immigrants.

The plan Mr. Trump supports seeks to reduce immigration by curbing the ability of American citizens and legal residents to bring family members into the country. As Mr. Trump told Congress earlier this year, “It is a basic principle that those seeking to enter a country ought to be able to support themselves financially.”

That approach — making sure new immigrants are not a burden on the country’s safety net and are able to prosper financially — is at the core of Australia’s immigration laws.

Australia takes in more immigrants relative to its population than the United States. The country has two distinct systems: a points-based system, which favors people based on their English proficiency and the skills they have to fill needed jobs, and an employer-nomination system, which allows businesses to sponsor people for jobs.