Poland’s government is telling its own citizens to max out British benefits and apply for Jobseeker’s Allowance before heading home, sparking outrage in the UK.VA
Poland’s government is telling its own citizens to max out British benefits and apply for Jobseeker’s Allowance before heading home, sparking outrage in the UK.
Poland tells citizens to max out UK benefits (Image: Getty)
Poles have been told by their own government to max out their benefits in Britain before heading home. Official government guidance for citizens living overseas instructs those thinking about coming back to “considering whether you are eligible for Jobseeker’s Allowance” before leaving. Deals done between London and Brussels since Brexit enable EU residents who got settled status before December 2020 to keep some of their welfare bungs when they move to an EU nation for up to three months.
That means Poles heading back to their home country can claim hundreds of pounds at the expense of the British taxpayer without looking for work in the UK.
Get the latest politics news – straight from our team in Westminster and more Invalid email
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
Since the United Kingdom’s historic vote to leave the EU in 2016 thousands of Polish nationals have headed back.
10p a day! Join Express Premium with our special Brexit anniversary offer
Ten years on from the vote to leave the EU, support us now in our campaign for a proper Brexit.
10p per day for a year, £36.50 for the year.
Offer available for ten days only.
Click HERE to subscribe to enjoy unlimited access to exclusive interviews, opinion and analysis, special offers and an ad-lite experience.
Now Warsaw is attempting to lure back its citizens to prop up a stint of economic growth that has seen the income gap shrink.
In turn that has reversed a period of immigration from the European Country, with many heading to the UK after Poland was allowed into the EU.
Powroty, the government website dispensing the advice, writes: “The UK unemployment benefit is higher than the equivalent benefit paid in Poland. It’s important to apply for it before leaving. Once you return to Poland, you won’t be able to start the benefits process.”
A UK Government spokesman took aim at Poland saying that the Brexit welfare rules should not be seen as a “mechanism to maximise claims on British taxpayers”.
Whately: Britain has become a laughing stock (Image: Getty)
But Warsaw has struck back, telling the Telegraph that Poles were heading home for “attractive job opportunities; the fact that the Polish economy has seen uninterrupted and dynamic economic growth over the past 28 years; the possibility of living and working among friends and family; and a high level of public safety”.
Helen Whately, the shadow work and pensions secretary, said: “Britain has become world-renowned for our soft-touch benefits handouts.
“When other nations are advising their own citizens on how to game benefits in the UK, it is clear how desperately broken our system has become. We have become a laughing stock.”
She vowed her party would end the system that allowed foreigners to claim handouts.
A Government spokesperson said: “This is part of the Withdrawal Agreement – negotiated by the previous government – and it is not a mechanism to maximise claims on British taxpayers.
“As few as 10 people currently claim Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) outside the UK, according to official statistics. They can only receive it for three months at most and must have settled status pre-2020, have made sufficient National Insurance contributions and meet other eligibility requirements.”
