BRITISH firms will be ‘named and shamed’ into hiring more UK staff under radical Home Office proposals to force them to publish the number of foreign workers on their books.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd today attacked business chiefs for using cheap foreign labour to fill jobs British people could do.

3 Home Secretary Amber Rudd unveiled the proposals today Credit: AP

And she revealed they could be required to publish the proportion of “international” staff in the workplace as part of a new crackdown on immigration from outside the EU.

Firms could also be forced to advertise vacancies in the UK for longer before they recruit overseas - and stopped from “concealing” salaries in the hope they can hire migrants on a cheaper rate.

The Home Secretary also set herself for a fierce confrontation with universities by detailing plans to make it harder for less talented students to land visa for a place with a college.

Places could be determined by the skills shortage in sectors of UK industry.

Separately she said that from December, landlords could face jail if they rent out a property to illegal immigrants.

Immigration checks will also be mandatory for those wanting to get a licence to drive a taxi.

Speaking at Tory conference, the Home Secretary stormed: “This Government will not waver in its commitment to put the interests of the British people first.

“Reducing net migration back down to sustainable levels will not be easy.

“But I am committed to delivering it on behalf of the British people.”

3 She is also preparing to force British firms to prove they have done all they can to find UK workers to fill a vacancy. Credit: Getty

As part of the package, Mrs Rudd also announced a new £140 million fund that will help communities cope with the effects of sky-high immigration.

It will also help pay for English lessons for those “that are here legally”.

The radical step reflects a growing frustration at the highest levels of Government with businesses for failing to do more to train up young UK workers.

Boris Johnson two weeks ago accused big business of “mainlining immigration like a drug” in a bid to slash costs.

And Brexit Secretary David Davis suggested companies are made to prove they have tried to hire a UK citizen before being granted a work permit to employ a foreigner when Britain leaves the EU.

Business chiefs reacted with dismay to the Home Secretary’s proposals – and her commitment to cutting net migration to the “tens of thousands”.

CBI deputy director general Josh Hardie said it was vital the Government’s approach to migration supported public concerns the economy.

He said: “It is also time to be clear about the value of migration to the UK, as well as its challenges.

“At a time when we need strong links globally to seize new opportunities after the referendum, being seen as open to the best and brightest is vital.”

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The British Chambers of Commerce blasted the clampdown and said further restrictions on non-EU immigration would hit “the economy, jobs and investment”.

Adam Marshall, the acting director general, said: “Now is not the time to tell businesses they have to jump through hoops to get the talent they need from around the world.”

Ms Rudd – a fervent pro-EU campaigner during the Referendum campaign – insisted the Government was not “pulling up the drawbridge”. And she said immigration had brought “many benefits” to the country.

But she said: “It’s only by reducing the numbers back down to sustainable levels that we can change the tide of public opinion – so once again immigration is something that we can all welcome.”

3 Speaking at the Conservative Party Conference she said a £140m 'controlling migration fund' would be set up Credit: Getty

Official migration figures in August revealed immigration from outside the EU hit 282,000 last year, more than the total coming from inside the European Union. Students account for more than 40 per cent of the migrants coming into the country from outside the EU.

Mrs Rudd said she was proud Britain had world leading universities but the current visa system allowed students the same opportunities regardless of their talents. She said that when an international student is in the UK, their family members can do any form of work in the UK.

She added that some foreign students, even those studying English, don’t have to be proficient in speaking English.

Mrs Rudd said: “We need to look at whether this one size fits all approach really is right. And we need to look at whether this generous offer for all universities is really adding value to our economy.”