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Britain
Immigrants must live in Britain for a year before claiming benefits, says welfare minister
2013-02-18
Plans, not yet in place.
Talking about it gives everyone fair warning, including the power mad idiots in Brussels. And they never even considered such things before, so this is progress of a sort.
Migrants from the European Union will be forced to live in Britain for up to a year before they can claim benefits, under plans outlined by Iain Duncan Smith, the welfare minister.

The Work and Pensions Secretary said hard-working migrants who paid their taxes and contributed to the economy would be welcome.

But he said he wanted to ensure "our door is shut" to benefit tourists and was engaged in a "big battle" with Brussels to reform the rules on welfare payments to residents from elsewhere in the EU.

Last week the Prime Minister promised to overhaul the system for immigrants to ensure that Britain is not "a soft touch". Ministers have been in talks over tightening the rules allowing migrants access to social housing, the NHS, benefits and elements of the justice system.

Some Conservative Cabinet members fear that the removal of restrictions for EU migrants from Romania and Bulgaria from 2014 will see many more arrive than expected, putting pressure on housing and public services.

Mr Duncan Smith predicted that ministers would be able to introduce "much tougher" regulations to stop immigrants taking advantage of the welfare system.

However, he faces a fight with the EU, which is attempting to prevent Britain applying the residency test to migrants from elsewhere in Europe.

"They're trying to say we don't have the right to have any kind of test, so that's a big battle that I'm having with the Europeans," Mr Duncan Smith said. Britain is being supported in arguing for new rules by the Dutch and Scandinavians, he added.

The minister said he also wanted to stop immigrants sending UK child benefit payments, which are more generous than the European average, to their families in their home countries.

From next year, 29 million Romanian and Bulgarian citizens will gain the right to move to the UK to work and live under rules allowing EU citizens freedom of movement.

Posted by:lotp

#5  Immigrants must work live in Britain before...

Yes I know, racist anti-islamic thoughts. Sorry.
Posted by: European Conservative   2013-02-18 18:49  

#4  Maybe the US could put a sign on the Southern Border that reads "why wait 8 years in America when Britain only takes 1"

Might need to be Spanish.
Posted by: airandee   2013-02-18 09:25  

#3  Just auction the right to hold British Citizenship.

Even a bureaucrat could work out the profit maximising number.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles   2013-02-18 08:46  

#2  Why a year, and not longer, the whole idea is "Don't come here and sponge" isn't it?

Or is a year considered "Fair", Bullshit, there'll all ways be people who consider welfare a "Right".

Do it this way, when you come to Britian, if you plan to go on welfare, you get sent home. (Wherever "Home" is) and NO RETURN EVER.
Any children born in Britian , are considered "Stateless", they can't become Brits.
Posted by: Redneck Jim   2013-02-18 05:08  

#1  Intehwesting - THE RUSSO-SLAVIZATION OF BRITAIN VERSUS THE ISLAMIZATION OF BRITAIN???

Sniff, sniff, is there no love for the Chinese???
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2013-02-18 00:29  

00:00