Sajid Javid has more than once proudly boasted at the Conservative party conference that he has a “unique opportunity” as home secretary to completely overhaul the immigration system in the UK.

Sajid Javid to toughen language requirement for immigrants Read more

Immigration concerns are seen by many as the single biggest driving force behind the vote to leave the European Union (EU) in 2016 so the government’s post-Brexit vision for migration will be watched closely by both the party and the electorate.

A white paper detailing how the new system will work will be published this autumn ahead of an immigration bill next year. But what have Javid and the prime minister, Theresa May, proposed so far?

What are the proposals?

The government is proposing a single immigration system that treats migrants from EU countries in the same way as those from non-EU countries.

Highly skilled workers who want to live and work in Britain will be given priority.

However, the government says the ability of people from trading partners to deliver services and student exchange programmes will form part of future trade agreements.

Javid has said he will consider scrapping the current cap of 20,700 on highly skilled migrants as part of the post-Brexit vision.

Applicants will need to meet a minimum salary threshold – for highly skilled migrants this stands at £30,000 – but Javid has hinted that this will be reviewed.

EU anger over May's post-Brexit immigration plan Read more

Successful applicants for highly skilled work will be able to bring their immediate family – but only if sponsored by their future employers.

For tourists and short-stay business trips, the government is looking at developing a system of e-gate visa checks for all low-risk countries.

Passports would be scanned in airports, train stations and ports. All security and criminal records checks would be carried out in advance of visits in a US-style system.

How is it different?

The most significant change will be the end to freedom of movement within the European Union as we have known it for decades.

As it stands, any citizen of an EU member state can come to the UK to live and work. Post-Brexit, EU citizens will be broadly subject to same rules as non-EU citizens – depending on the terms of any future trade agreements thrashed out between the UK and EU.

Treating EU and non-EU nationals the same will allow the government, Javid and May say, to prioritise highly skilled migrants over low-skilled migrants.

Holidaymakers and business travellers from the EU do not require a visa to enter the UK, whereas under the new framework they will.

Who will benefit and who will lose out?

The proposals work in favour of so-called highly skilled migrants, although exactly how they will be defined is yet to be thrashed out. The home secretary told audiences at fringe events that he would be looking at salary thresholds and other ways of controlling migration, although he did say he would consider scrapping the cap on migrants.

The government argues the proposals will benefit British workers previously overlooked for jobs due to cheap migrant labour. However, the MAC report upon which much of the policy is based did not support this view, and also discredited claims that migrants suppress wage growth.

It could be argued that the proposals work against EU citizens because the most dramatic departure from the status quo is the restrictions to EU migration. Senior EU figures immediately attacked Javid and May’s plan.

Industries that rely on so-called low-skilled labour have warned they will struggle to recruit workers. This includes those in the health, care and hospitality sectors.

British citizens who want to work in the EU are also set to suffer. As it stands, Britons can emigrate to any EU member state to live and work. This right will be severely curtailed.