Sir Keir Starmer will 'tighten every part of immigration system' in major crackdown

Sir Keir is expected to say: “For years we have had a system that encourages businesses to bring in lower paid workers, rather than invest in our young people.

“That is the Britain this broken system has created.

“Every area of the immigration system, including work, family and study, will be tightened up so we have more control.

“Enforcement will be tougher than ever and migration numbers will fall.”

However, unions have already hit out at some of the reforms, with Unison general secretary Christina McAnea warning: “The NHS and the care sector would have collapsed long ago without the thousands of workers who've come to the UK from overseas.”

The new system, Sir Keir will announce, will end automatic settlement and citizenship for anyone living here for five years.

Instead, people must spend a decade in the UK before they can apply to stay, unless they can show “a real and lasting contribution to the economy and society”.

The Government said this would include so-called “high-contributing individuals who play by the rules and contribute to the economy and society, such as nurses, doctors, engineers and AI leaders”.

The Prime Minister will explain: “We will create a system that is controlled, selective and fair.

“One that recognises those who genuinely contribute to Britain’s growth and society, while restoring common sense and control to our borders.

“This is a clean break from the past and will ensure settlement in this country is a privilege that must be earned, not a right.

“And when people come to our country, they should also commit to integration and to learning our language.

“Lower net migration, higher skills and backing British workers – that is what this White Paper will deliver.”

The government will raise English language requirements across every immigration route, requiring people to demonstrate a basic understanding of English.

It says this will help individuals “integrate into their local community, find employment and reduce the risk of exploitation and abuse”.

The Government also said there will be “tougher rules on who can come to work, study or bring family”.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is set to unveil the white paper later today, but already announced that the visa route for people working in the care system will be closed.

She told Sky News on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips yesterday that ministers are going to “introduce new restrictions on lower-skilled workers” because “what we should be doing is concentrating on the higher-skilled migration and we should be concentrating on training in the UK”.

Under current rules, to qualify for a care worker visa a person must have a certificate of sponsorship from their employer with information about the role they have been offered in the UK.

The Home Secretary told the BBC the rules around the system will change to “prevent” it being used “to recruit from abroad” but “we will allow them to continue to extend visas and also to recruit from more than 10,000 people who came on a care worker visa, where the sponsorship visa was cancelled”.

Ms McAnea added: “The social care sector has been in crisis for years. With so many thousands of workers short, it's unable to provide care packages for all those needing support. That has a huge impact on the NHS too.

“The government must get on with making its fair pay agreement a reality and ensure social care is funded properly.

“So long as care wages stay barely above the legal minimum, employers will never be able to recruit the staff needed to deliver a national care service of which we can all be proud.”