Migrants to the UK are to be quizzed about their English skills before being able to claim income-related benefits, the government has announced. In a move to "protect the integrity of the benefits system", people will also be asked what efforts they have made to find work before coming to Britain. Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith said people should not be able to "take advantage" of British benefits. Job centres in England, Scotland and Wales will use the "more robust" test. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said the test would ensure "only migrants who have a legal right to be in Britain and plan to contribute to this country can make a claim for benefits". "For the first time, migrants will be quizzed about what efforts they have made to find work before coming to the UK and whether their English language skills will be a barrier to them finding employment," the DWP said in a statement. Income-related benefits include council tax benefit, housing benefit, income-based jobseeker's allowance and pension credit. Mr Duncan Smith said British people were "rightly concerned" that migrants should contribute to the economy and should not be "drawn here by the attractiveness of our benefits system". "It is vitally important that we have strict rules in place to protect the integrity of our benefits system," he said. He said the new test would help create a fair system which provided for "genuine" workers and jobseekers but "does not allow people to come to our country and take advantage". To claim the benefits, migrants will have to pass a "habitual residence test" including more than 100 extra questions compared to now. This will be overseen by an "intelligent IT system" which will ensure questions are "tailored to each individual claimant". Migrants will be allowed to claim benefits if they can prove they are legally allowed to be in Britain and are "habitually resident" the country. As part of this they might be questioned about what measures they have taken to "establish" themselves in Britain and what ties they still have abroad. "They will also have to provide more evidence that they are doing everything they can to find a job," the DWP said. |
英國政府發(fā)表聲明:英國的移民在獲得與收入相關(guān)的津貼之前需要通過英語能力測試。 人們需要回答他們到達(dá)英國之前是怎么找工作的,此舉是為了“保護福利系統(tǒng)的合理性”。 就業(yè)和退休金部大臣伊恩?鄧肯?史密斯表示,移民者不能在英國津貼上“占便宜”。 英格蘭,蘇格蘭,威爾士的職業(yè)介紹中心會進行更加嚴(yán)格的測試。 就業(yè)與退休金部門聲稱,這個測試只會讓那些有合法權(quán)利居住在英國并能夠給應(yīng)該帶來貢獻(xiàn)的移民得到補助。 就業(yè)與退休金部門聲明,移民首先會被詢問在來到英國之前付出了什么努力,以及他們的英語能力是否會阻礙就業(yè)。 與收入相關(guān)的津貼包括家庭稅收津貼,住房津貼,基于收入的求職者津貼和養(yǎng)老保險信用。 鄧肯?史密斯先生表明,英國人對“合理關(guān)注”移民福利事務(wù)。移民應(yīng)該對英國經(jīng)濟的發(fā)展做出貢獻(xiàn),而不是因為想要享受這兒的福利體制而搬到這里。 他說,設(shè)定嚴(yán)格的規(guī)則來確保福利制度的健全是至關(guān)重要的。 他還說這個新測試有助于建立一個能服務(wù)于真正的工人求職者的公平體制,而不是任由移民占便宜。 與現(xiàn)在相比,為了領(lǐng)取救濟金,移民還必須通過一份100多道問題的常住居民測試。 這將會由能根據(jù)每位申請者不同而提出相應(yīng)問題的智能信息技術(shù)系統(tǒng)監(jiān)督實行。 移民者若能證明自己在英國是合法的常住居民就能得到救濟金。 作為測試的一部分,他們還要回答怎樣定居下來,以及在國外還有什么關(guān)系。 就職及退休金部門說:他們還需提供更多的證據(jù)以證明他們會想方設(shè)法找到工作。 (譯者 qyym 編輯 丹妮) |