EU migrants to Britain face further restrictions on welfare payments
New immigrants from the EU will only be able to claim welfare payments for three months under plans by David Cameron to address what he called "the magnetic pull of Britain's benefit system".
The prime minister will on announce on Tuesday the further tightening of the rules for new arrivals claiming benefits, as he tries to head off criticism from the right of his party about the coalition's likely failure to hit its targets on reducing immigration to the tens of thousands.
The measure comes just six months after fresh controls were imposed to make EU immigrants wait three months to get jobseeker's allowance after entering the country and then limiting claims to six months. The rule changes were subsequently extended to child tax credit and child benefit.
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But Eurosceptics may see the announcement as an attempt to distract them from Brussels' opposition to a cap on the overall numbers of EU immigrants, which has been floated by the Home Office. The European commission has made it clear that the principle of free movement, giving citizens the right to live and work in other member states, cannot be undermined.
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jul/29/eu-migrants-britain-further-restrictions-welfare-payments
