Home Secretary James Cleverly will unveil a package of measures intended to bring down net migration after figures hit a record high.
He is expected to tell the Commons on Monday that the minimum salary requirement for a skilled worker from overseas will be significantly hiked to around £38,000, a Whitehall official said.
The increase from £26,200 a year for migrants coming to Britain was said to feature in a wider package to be announced as Rishi Sunak comes under huge pressure.
The Prime Minister has vowed to “do what is necessary” to bring down net migration in the wake of an official estimate saying it had reached a record of 745,000 in 2020.
The salary figure is lower than the £40,000 in the deal Mr Sunak allegedly agreed with his since-sacked home secretary Suella Braverman to win her support for the Tory leadership.
Privately, two sources said, Mrs Braverman and immigration minister Robert Jenrick had pushed for the cap to go even higher, to £45,000.
The first official confirmed that the number of dependents that social care workers are permitted to bring into Britain will also be reduced in the package.
The package will raise concerns about how the key roles will be filled if migrants are either prevented or dissuaded from coming.
Downing Street declined to discuss the specifics ahead of Mr Cleverly’s announcement on Monday afternoon, but insisted that the package is “about striking the right balance”.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman added: “We do believe there is a significant pool of people who can be assisted back into the workforce.”
He said “there is evidence of abuse in the system and that’s what we will clamp down on” following changes introduced “over successive years”.