EU jobseekers will be banned entirely as they must have a guaranteed job before they come here.

The document also states that free movement in its current form will end after Britain leaves the EU in March 2019, when an implementation period of “at least two years” will begin.

EU citizens will need passports to enter the country, but holidaymakers will be unaffected as all new arrivals will automatically be allowed to stay for between three and six months.

Under tough measures to crack down on crime, anyone applying for work permits or residency will be fingerprinted so they can be checked against criminal records databases.

There will also be a ban on naturalised citizens bringing members of their extended families to the UK, with only direct family members - classed as partners, minor children and adult dependants - being allowed to apply.

The proposals, which have reportedly led to rows in Cabinet, include a series of “potential measures” that could be used to control migration.

Listed under a section headed “possible mechanisms to achieve our aims for EU immigration”, they include “limiting the number of EU citizens able to come to the UK to undertake low-skilled work, for example through a salary threshold, an assessment of the skill level of the occupation and/or through a direct numerical cap on numbers”.