The British government announced on Tuesday (29 July) it will tighten benefits for unemployed migrants from the EU in plans the European Commission has said it will examine closely. Under the proposals, London is to reduce to three months - down from six months - the time EU migrants without realistic job prospects can claim welfare. Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Prime Minister David Cameron said it was about "addressing the magnetic pull of Britain’s benefits system.
Other measures include banning "overseas only recruitment" and "massively" restricting the number of jobs automatically put on an EU jobs portal. "This is about putting British residents first," he said.
The move comes on top of changes announced last year under which EU migrants may only claim unemployment benefits after three months of being in the UK.
