Last night the Prime Minister announced her governments intention to end “freedom of movement once and for all” with a new immigration regime that favours highly skilled migrants regardless of their nationality.
Under the new rules, migration to the UK will be reduced to “sustainable levels” by curbing the number of workers doing low-skilled jobs that could be done by British citizens, she said.
Mrs May, who remains committed to the goal of cutting net annual immigration below 100,000, said the long-awaited Tory plans would be fair for "ordinary working people".
However, the PM has admitted she expects British tourists and workers to face similar restrictions when traveling to EU nations, subject to negotiations with Brussels.
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MIGRATION OVERHAUL: Theresa May has announced a new post-Brexit immigration regime
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She said: "Two years ago, the British public voted to leave the European Union and take back control of our borders.
"When we leave we will bring in a new immigration system that ends freedom of movement once and for all.
"For the first time in decades, it will be this country that controls and chooses who we want to come here.
"It will be a skills-based system where it is workers' skills that matter, not where they come from.”
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RESTRICTIONS: The PM said her plan 'ends freedom of movement once and for all'
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“It will be a skills-based system”
Theresa May
When asked if her proposals meant Brits may need visas to travel to Europe after Brexit, Mrs May said she expected the agreement to be “reciprocal” if approved by the EU.
She responded: “The question of business travel, the question of tourism, will be part of the negotiations with the European Union.
“We have put forward a set of proposals that would enable people to continue to travel for tourism to the European Union and for tourists from the EU to come here.”
Home Secretary Sajid Javid is preparing to set out the immigration blueprint in a speech to the Conservative Party conference.
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BORDER CONTROL: Brits may have to apply for visas to visit Europe post-Brexit
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He told Tory grassroots at a meeting on the fringes on Monday that he wanted an open system that allowed Britain to attract the best talent from across the globe.
Migration Watch UK vice chairman Alp Mehmet claimed the proposals were "not likely" to cut net migration.
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The overall numbers, frankly, are quite likely to go up if, if the Migration Advisory Committee's recommendations are adopted, simply because it's not just about curbing the number of low-skilled people coming here."
He added: "We want net migration to come down and these proposals are not likely to do that, you are simply going to replace EU [low-skilled] migration with migration from elsewhere in the world. That's taking your foot off the brake and frankly slipping onto the accelerator."
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