Experts will be called in to launch a major assessment of migration from the European Union as the government steps up its efforts to devise a post-Brexit immigration system.
Home secretary Amber Rudd will commission the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to carry out a detailed analysis of the role of EU nationals in the UK economy and society.
The in-depth study will focus on patterns of migration from Europe, considering factors including regional distribution, skill levels and seasonal workers.
Writing in the Financial Times, Ms Rudd said any new post-Brexit immigration system must work in everyone's interest.
She said: "Put simply, the UK must remain a hub for international talent. We must keep attracting the brightest and best migrants from around the world.
"I want to reassure all those who have outlined their views ... that the government is listening and that we share their desire to continue to welcome those who help make the UK such a prosperous place to live."
Advisers will be tasked with examining issues such as the economic and social costs and benefits of EU migration, and the potential impact of any fall in arrivals from the bloc.
The committee will be asked to report back by September next year - seven months before the scheduled date for Britain's formal departure in March 2019.
It will be invited to produce interim reports before giving its final findings, as officials attempt to draw up a regime that incorporates an end to free movement while ensuring any fall in overseas labour does not damage the economy.
Writing to Professor Alan Manning, chairman of the MAC, the Home Secretary will say that under a future system "we will be able to apply different immigration rules and requirements according to the UK's economic and social needs".
The MAC will be asked to examine:
- The current patterns of European Economic Area (EEA) migration, including which sectors are most reliant on EU labour;
- The economic and social costs and benefits of EU migration to the UK economy;
- The potential impact of a reduction in EU migration and the ways in which both business and the Government could adjust to this change;
- The current impact of immigration, from both EU and non-EU countries, on the competitiveness of UK industry and skills and training;
- Whether there is any evidence that the availability of unskilled labour has led to low UK investment in certain sectors;
- If there are advantages to focusing migrant labour on high-skilled jobs.
Josh Hardie, deputy director general of business organisation the CBI, welcomed the move as a "sensible first step", saying the review will be "vital" to address longer-term questions.
"Businesses urgently need to know what a new system will look like - during transition and afterwards," he said.
But ministers faced questions over the gap between the referendum in June last year and the request to the MAC.
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Sir Ed Davey said: "The government needs to explain why this study wasn't commissioned a year ago, directly after the referendum.
"The NHS, businesses and universities that depend on European citizens need answers now, not in another 14 months' time."
As well as the MAC's work, talks will be held across sectors including business, industry, trade unions and educational institutions in the coming months.
Official statistics show net long-term migration for EU citizens - the balance between arrivals and departures - was running at an estimated 133,000 last year, a fall of more than a quarter on 2015.
