UK Conservatives: EU and non-EU immigrants will face same rules after Brexit

LONDON, Nov 17 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservatives said on Sunday they would treat European Union citizens the same as immigrants from the rest of the world when free movement ends in January 2021.

Setting out details of their post-Brexit immigration policy ahead of a Dec. 12 election, the Conservatives said EU nationals would typically have to wait five years before they could access welfare payments and would have to pay a surcharge to access the health service.

"As we come out of the EU we have a new opportunity for fairness and to make sure all those who come here are treated the same. We will make our immigration system equal," Johnson said in a statement. (Reporting by Kylie MacLellan, editing by Louise Heavens)