A new flood of migrants ?

On May 1st the rules regarding migrant workers are changing .It means basically that migrant workers can claim benefits immediately upon entering the country

As many as 100,000 people from eastern Europe are expected to head for the UK after May 1, when they will be able to claim up to £250 a week in handouts.
Sir Andrew Green, chairman of the monitoring body MigrationWatch UK, said last night: “This needs to be watched very carefully. Nobody knows what impact it will have.�
He is particularly concerned about what would happen once similar “transitional controls� on immigrants from Bulgaria and Romania are lifted in two years’ time, with fears that Roma people would race to take advantage.

The UK’s Workers Registration Scheme, which obliged people from eastern Europe to register if they wanted to work in the UK for more than a month, is ending at the same time.

I suspect that these are changes agreed by Labour before they left office ,and if so why the hell can't the new government do something about it ?

[Osem]

Originally Posted by martyh

On May 1st the rules regarding migrant workers are changing .It means basically that migrant workers can claim benefits immediately upon entering the country






I suspect that these are changes agreed by Labour before they left office ,and if so why the hell can't the new government do something about it ?

I too have serious concerns about the effects of this. It's all very well people arguing that these rules are EU wide and the same as those of the indigenous population but the attraction to migrants form the poorer parts of Europe will be huge as the benefits involved represent relatively large sums of money in those places. I believe France and Germany etc. are also supposed to be introducing similar rules but I have a sneaking suspicion that they will find ways to avoid them being taken advantage of on a large scale in practice. I do think that this is potentially a recipe for more unrest as some indigenous people perceive that, at a time when everything's being squeezed, migrants are now able to take advantage of a benefits system they haven't even contributed to, adding further to the burden we all face. Of course if the UK was booming the effects of all this may be masked but with unemployment probably not heading downwards any time soon and times tough throughout the EU, I think this measure is likely to cause trouble and cost us a lot of money we don't have. Time will tell.

As I understand it, the Lib-Dems would be unliklely to support moves to try to exclude ourselves from these rules so Cameron probably realises he can't win a fight on this issue.

I often wonder if mass migration would be deemed quite so acceptable by the great and the good if lawyers, journalists, politicians, judges and the like were more on the receiving end of it. If MPs were hired in the marketplace like everyone else and had to compete for their jobs against foreign competition able to undercut them like most of us do, I wonder if they'd be quite so keen on the free movement of migrants. Just a thought.....

apologies link added

---------- Post added at 11:57 ---------- Previous post was at 11:36 ----------

Originally Posted by Osem

I too have serious concerns about the effects of this. It's all very well people arguing that these rules are EU wide and the same as those of the indigenous population but the attraction to migrants form the poorer parts of Europe will be huge as the benefits involved represent relatively large sums of money in those places. I believe France and Germany etc. are also supposed to be introducing similar rules but I have a sneaking suspicion that they will find ways to avoid them being taken advantage of on a large scale in practice. I do think that this is potentially a recipe for more as some indigenous people perceive that at a time when everything's being squeezed, migrants are now able to take advantage of a benefits system they haven't necessarily contributed to, adding further to the burden. Of course if the UK was booming the effects of all this may be masked but with unemployment probably not heading downwards any time soon and times tough throughout the EU, I think this measure is likely to cause trouble and cost us a lot of money we don't have. Time will tell.

As I understand it, the Lib-Dems would be unliklely to support moves to try to exclude ourselves from these rules so Cameron probably realises he can't win a fight on this issue.

I often wonder if mass migration would be deemed quite so acceptable by the great and the good if lawyers, journalists, politicians, judges and the like were more on the receiving end of it. If MPs were hired in the marketplace like everyone else and had to compete for their jobs against foreign competition able to undercut them like most of us do, I wonder if they'd be quite so keen on the free movement of migrants. Just a thought.....

A good thought though,migrant workers seem to be limited to seasonal work and temporary work at the moment but under these new rules workers can come to Britain and claim benefits whilst looking for more permanent positions whereas before thay had to work on entry for a year continuously

[PeteLockwood]

we should quit europe costs us far more than we reap.. they always fine the country for silly things to carry on paying the god knows how many thousands of pointless jobs with crazy salaries, the governemtn should simply say, how about FU europe dont like it kick us out?

[Taf]

Our ex-neighbours (Czech Roma) contacted me from Romania where they fled after losing part time jobs here (cleaners) and defaulting on several loans, credit card bills, rent payments, etc..

They wanted me to send them info about "4 or 5 bedroom houses" they can occupy rent and poll tax free once the new rules apply.

They were not the nicest of people, so I declined their request, especially when I asked what jobs they were going to and was told "Jobs? Who needs jobs?"

[Gary L]

I hate migrants.

Originally Posted by Gary L

I hate migrants.

insightful as always gary

[Gary L]

I hate migrants that come here for the free money.

Originally Posted by Gary L

I hate migrants that come here for the free money.

Better

well it looks as though it's going to get worse ,one of my main queries is will they be treated the same as our own indigenous welfare junkies ,will they be made to attend interviews ,have their money stopped for 6 months if they don't show willing to find a job

Originally Posted by heero_yuy

Some interesting polling results:



Mark Easton's blog

Apart from the apocraphal stories in the red tops about immigrants getting huge mansions and £10ks of cash just by waltzing into the country and edging up on the shores of whichever council is their first port of call; cheap willing labour must be holding down wages at the bottom end of the ladder. Why should an employer pay more than the minimum wage when there's queues of immigrants who'll do the jobs.

I don't doubt that they come here and work hard, but that's not the point, those jobs should be being done by some of those who are currently languishing on state benefits (even if they have to be forced to do them).

Very true and i agree to a point ,but how do you force an employer to take a unwilling worker forced upon them by the welfare state instead of a cheap willing foreign worker who will give more productivity

interesting blog

[Gary L]

Originally Posted by martyh

one of my main queries is will they be treated the same as our own indigenous welfare junkies ,will they be made to attend interviews ,have their money stopped for 6 months if they don't show willing to find a job

I doubt it. they probably just get it coming in without argument.

[Russ]

Originally Posted by Gary L

I hate migrants.

We'd never have guessed.

[Gary L]

Originally Posted by Russ

We'd never have guessed.

You're just saying that.

---------- Post added at 16:03 ---------- Previous post was at 15:37 ----------

will get automatic rights to Jobseeker’s Allowance, housing and council tax benefit. Rules that prohibit eastern bloc migrants from accepting the handouts unless they have worked here continuously for a year must be lifted to comply with EU requirements.

This is what annoys me. what it means is that they will get a guaranteed income every week/fortnight. a free (probably private and at least £125 a week rent) property that is council tax free.

it won't be a council house (social housing) because we haven't got any of them to give to our homeless already anyway.

Originally Posted by Gary L

This is what annoys me. what it means is that they will get a guaranteed income every week/fortnight. a free (probably private and at least £125 a week rent) property that is council tax free.

it won't be a council house (social housing) because we haven't got any of them to give to our homeless already anyway.

Eva Katona, 22, who is considering moving from Budapest to work as a nanny or carer, said: “Unemployment benefit in England is higher than a salary here and I have been told I can go on the dole as soon as I arrive. It is not my intention to do that, but it is nice to have the sort of security you do not find here.�

Why doesn't the EU make other countries give their citizens the security we enjoy here ,instead of making rules that allow them to take advantage of the security designed to help citizens of the UK .If the EU are going to encourage migration and force us(the UK) to pay them benefits out of our welfare fund then i think the EU should compensate us

[PeteLockwood]

why doesn't the government do what the PEOPLE WANT and tell europe to straight F OFF, what are they going to do ? fine us ? tell them again to F OFF!