Sajid Javid is preparing to reverse the government's plans for a £30,000 minimum salary threshold for EU migrants after Brexit, it has been reported.
According to a letter obtained by The Sun, the home secretary has urged the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to come up with fresh evidence justifying the proposals, which were included in the Government's Immigration white paper published late last year.
The plans – which were the subject of a heated Cabinet row before their unveiling – mean some EU migrants will be forced to earn at least £30,000 before they are able to settle in the UK, a move designed to put immigration from the bloc on the same footing as the rest of the world.
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But The Sun reports that Javid has told the committee, which advises ministers on immigration policy, to consider letting companies pay the "going rate" for EU recruits post-Brexit.
And he is said to have instructed the group to look at setting regional wage limits across the country as well as investigating whether "new entrants" to the UK can be paid less.
Making clear that the plans were not yet fixed, Javid wrote: "The government is committed to engaging extensively over the course of this year before confirming the level of the minimum salary threshold."
Ministers last year promised that the post-Brexit shake-up of the system would represent "the most significant change to the immigration system in more than 40 years". The MAC is set to report back to the Home Office at the end of the year.