Foreign nationals will be allowed to join the Armed Forces without having ever lived in Britain, ministers will announce on Monday, in a major move to address a deepening recruitment crisis.

The Ministry of Defence will drop a requirement for applicants from Commonwealth countries to have resided in Britain for five years, The Telegraph has learned.

Military leaders now hope to recruit 1,350 extra personnel from foreign countries every year to the navy, army and air force.

It comes amid a struggle to recruit enough servicemen and women which has left the army "disappearing before our eyes", according to MPs.

Under the new policy, applicants from countries including Australia, India, Canada, Kenya and Fiji will be considered for every role in the armed forces. The Royal Navy and RAF will begin recruitment procedures immediately, with Army applications opening in early 2019.

People from nations outside the Commonwealth will still require British citizenship in order to be accepted. The only exceptions are the Gurkhas from Nepal, and applicants from the Republic of Ireland, which are subject to longstanding special arrangements with the UK.