Skilled overseas workers from outside Europe will have to show they have appropriate qualifications or will earn a specified salary before being allowed into Britain, the government said today.
The rules are part of a points-based immigration system designed to cut the number of skilled migrant workers by around 20,000 a year.
The new regulations come into force in the autumn and will apply to job seekers from outside the 30-nation European Economic Area (the European Union plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway).
"Our new points system means that British jobseekers get the first crack of the whip and that only the skilled migrants we actually need will be able to come," said Immigration Minister Liam Byrne.
"By moving points up or down, we can make sure the numbers we allow in to the UK are in line with the needs of business and the country as a whole."
Employers aiming to employ skilled foreign workers such as teachers and engineers will have to demonstrate they cannot recruit similar staff locally.
Low-skilled staff from outside the EEA will effectively be barred. Only in certain "shortage occupations" will the rules on earnings and qualifications be relaxed.
But all overseas jobseekers will have to show competence in English and have enough money - set at £800 - to support themselves in the country before their first pay cheque.
Under the scheme, skilled overseas jobseekers must gain 70 points to win entry, calculated by factors such as their qualification level and prospective salary.
The first phase of the points systems came into force earlier this year for highly skilled workers already in Britain.
Bangladeshi and other ethnic restaurants are concerned the new rules will prevent them from recruiting cooks from their home nations.
The Bangladesh Caterers Association (BCA) is lobbying the government for ethnic catering jobs to be classed as a shortage occupation, allowing overseas chefs to enter Britain under the points system.
The BCA says Bangladeshi restaurants and takeaways in Britain already have 30,000 vacancies and cannot hire suitable staff locally.
The Australian-style points system was introduced to meet concerns about levels of immigration, and the impact on local services, by ensuring that only needed workers from outside the EEA were allowed into Britain.