Of the two million net migrants to the UK from the eight eastern european countries that joined the EU in 2004 just 13000 people have claimed jobseekers allowance. ( guardian March 2013). This is most likely to be people who have been here up to nine years worked here and paid national insurance and therefore are entitled to claim because they have paid in. Just like you and me.
UK Nationals are 2.5 times more likely to claim benefits than immigrants.
in 2007/8 it was found that the proportion of new social lets to foreign nationals was 6.5% (with 1.1% going to members of EU8 countries, 1.8% to EEA nationals, and the remaining 3.8% to non-EU residents).
Higher immigration means a larger working population which benefits the economy and reduces national debt. It is true to say that people moving here when young grow older and some suggest they become a burden which the Uk (and Scotland) could do without. But that ignores the fact that someone moving here in their 20s may work for 40 years, paying in and contributing to the economy.
The suggestion that health tourism by immigrants seeking to exploit our NHS has also been shown to be nonsense. anoher smoke screen policy by this government to give the illusion that they are doing something by doing nothing or doing something which makes almost no difference to anything. At 0.6% of the NHS budget this issue is a nothing issue - in fact it is said that the Government is to blame for almost 25% of this figure because they simply dont bother to claim back the costs where they could do so.
Training our young people and better apprenticeships and better help for those unemployed to return to work is vital but not at the expense of immigration. The two are complimentary not exclusive. To suggest that immigrants are "taking our jobs" is as untrue now as it was in the 50s, 60s and before. IT was said about West Indians, pakistanis and bangladeshis; The same comments were made about poles, jews, ukranians after WW2 im surprised no one has added "they are taking our women too" IT makes about as much sense.
http://fullfact.org/factchecks/immig...benefits-28846
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