Attention to UK immigration and immigrant life: London, February 19 - EU immigrants living and working in the UK must prove that their weekly income has been no less than £149 for at least three months in order to access UK benefits. This minimum income threshold policy for new immigrants, introduced by former Prime Minister David Cameron, will take effect on March 1.
The UK government's measure aims to protect existing welfare policies, including health services, from being easily abused.
Moreover, by the 2014-15 fiscal year, this minimum threshold will be raised to a weekly income of £153.
All EU immigrants wishing to apply for benefits or assistance must now be able to prove that they are "genuinely working" in the UK.
Data shows that among foreign immigrants working in the UK, the largest group is EU immigrants, followed by those from Africa, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
Norman Smith, Chief Political Correspondent for BBC News, stated that the government is trying to send a strong signal to EU immigrants planning to come to the UK that they cannot expect to easily apply for unemployment benefits.
However, he added that there is evidence showing that this issue is not prominent at present, as only 2% of those applying for jobseeker's allowance are EU immigrants.
Currently, the distribution of people working in the UK by place of birth is as follows:
EU 14 countries: 797,000
Eastern European EU countries: 68,300
Romania and Bulgaria, recently allowed to move within the EU: 141,000
Africa: 625,000
South Africa: 160,000
Australia and New Zealand: 115,000
India: 422,000
Pakistan and Bangladesh: 292,000
United States: 116,000
Other countries: 1,021,000 (Translation)