Labour has sparked fury over a "bombshell clause" in their immigration plan that could "throw open Britain's borders to millions". The Government is planning to allow refugees - approved by the UNHCR - to move to the UK and work.

It comes as the Home Office revealed that foreign thugs, shoplifters and sex offenders will have their visas revoked to “protect the British public against criminals before their offending escalates”.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper wants to bolster attempts to deport criminals – even if they only receive a caution.

Foreign national offenders are only currently eligible for deportation if they are sentenced to 12 months in prison – unless the individual is considered not “conducive to the public good”.

Ms Cooper wants to take “much earlier action on a wider range of crimes”. More criminals will be eligible for deportation, even if they were not sent to jail, under new plans.

But the government has also included the right to work in its plans.

The Home Office White Paper stated: "Drawing from the experience of the Displaced Talent Programme, we will explore reforms to allow a limited pool of UNHCR recognised refugees and displaced people living overseas to apply for employment through our existing sponsored worker routes."

The Conservatives warned: "According to the UNHCR, over 120 million people are now forcibly displaced worldwide. This amounts to a new legal pathway for non-UK-based refugees to enter the country. With no definitive cap this has the potential to allow in millions of refugees into the UK. It is an open invitation to the world that Starmer’s Britain is open for all.

"And the data backs it up. Eligibility could be applied to Afghans, who made up 15% of all illegal Channel arrivals last year. Whilst vast swathes of Gaza could be eligible too.

"Keir Starmer says it’s about talent. In reality, it’s about appeasing the activist class who see borders as an inconvenience and nationhood as a relic.

"Rather than getting a grip on illegal working in this country, Labour want to comb the world to get even more refugees to come and work here."

CPS Research Director Karl Williams said: “The measures proposed fall some way short of those actually required to get migration down to the kind of levels which the public would be happy with.

“For example, cutting the time someone can stay in the UK on a Graduate visa from 24 months to 18 months will do nothing to address the problem of those using student and graduate visas to access the country with the primary intent to work, not to study, and then switching to other routes to extend their stay.

“The Government has also acknowledged the enormous increase in family visas and difficulties in deported foreign offenders back to their home countries, yet the White Paper takes no decisive action on either issue - simply kicking the can down the road until at least the end of the year.

“Ultimately the government has refused to commit to a numerical level of net migration. It is disappointing that the Government has so far refused to consider this option.”

The policy was one of dozens announced on Monday to slash net migration, end abuse of the asylum system, increase deportations of foreign criminals and bolster community integration.

A Home Office source said: “Crimes that might attract a caution, for example, assault, an assault might get a caution. We’ve talked in the past about sexual offending, aggravated burglary.

“There are serious offences that we want to ensure do lead to the termination of a visa and then proceed to a removal. At the moment, we are not, we are not removing them because they don’t hit that 12-month threshold. We have the powers to do that.”

Taken in the round, the Home Office believes their reforms will slash the number of people coming to the UK by 100,000.

These are the key policies in the Immigration White Paper:

- Migrants will need to wait 10 years rather than five to apply for settlement or citizenship, although workers who significantly contribute to society, such as nurses, doctors and engineers, could be fast-tracked. This will lead to 18,000 fewer arrivals, the Home Office believes.

- Increasing the threshold for the Skilled Worker Visa to graduate-level roles. Officials believe this will prevent migrants from moving to Britain for around 180 occupations. This change alone is predicted to lead to 39,000 fewer migrants coming to the UK.

- Raising the Immigration Skills Charge by 32% to raise funds to train British workers.

- Sectors which hire large numbers of migrant workers will be ordered to draw up workforce strategies to end their reliance on cheap foreign labour.

- And they will only be able to hire from abroad if there “have been on long term shortages, on a time limited basis”.

- Social care visas will also be closed to new applicants, after years of the route being treated as a backdoor route into Britain.

- A higher standard of English will be required across all immigration routes, including, for the first time, adult dependents required to display a basic understanding of the language. This could lead to 6,000 fewer arrivals.

- Stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.

- Digital identity documents will also be issued to every overseas arrival, replacing Biometric Resident Permit cards. This, officials believe, will allow the Home Office to monitor those overstaying their visas and breaking the law. The eVisa allows “all immigration status holders access to their data and to share information about their permissions with employers, landlords and others”. This could then be used to find those abusing the system.

- Yvette Cooper wants to “tighten” up asylum rules to prevent migrants using human rights laws to avoid deportation, stay in the UK and bolster their claims to remain.

- New restrictions are set to be introduced when asylum seekers file a claim when “conditions in their home country have not materially changed”. This will make it much harder for a migrant to lodge a successful claim.

Visa sponsors could also be fined or sanctioned if they abuse the asylum system.