EU migrants who are under the age of 30 could be handed two-year visas that give them the right to live and work in the UK after Brexit under plans being considered by a Government-commissioned review.

The Migration Advisory Committee, an independent body, has been commissioned by ministers to review the economic costs and benefits of EU migration and examine potential border controls.

In a call for evidence published yesterday the committee suggested that Britain could follow a similar approach to New Zealand, Australia and Canada and give preferential status to migrants aged between 18 and 30.

The report says: "There are a number of reasons for this - younger migrants have a longer working life ahead of them so have a higher chance of making a net positive contribution to the public finances, and they are perhaps considered to assimilate more successfully".