The number of non-EU immigrants allowed into Britain is to be capped from next month to avoid a last-minute scramble to enter the country. Skip related content
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Sky News understands the coalition government will announce the temporary cap on Monday, which will run until a permanent limit can be implemented next April.

Anticipating a large number of applications, it is believed that Home Secretary Theresa May will limit the number of migrants to 24,100 over the next nine months.

Highly-skilled migrants will also have to meet tighter conditions.

Ms May will launch a consultation process for deciding the level of the permanent cap.

Aides played down reports of concerns among senior Tories over the effect of restrictions on businesses, insisting the policy was not being watered down.

Education Secretary Michael Gove and Universities minister David Willetts were both said to have expressed doubts in Cabinet discussions this week.

The Liberal Democrats opposed a cap during the General Election campaign, but signed up to the Tory idea as part of the coalition deal.

Ms May is understood to have decided interim limits were necessary after studying how immigration numbers "spiked" when Labour gave advance warning about restrictions.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20100626/tuk-immigration-cap-to-prevent-rush-into-45dbed5.html