Polish migrants urged to cash in on ‘soft-touch’ Britain’s benefits system before returning home

Polish nationals migrants are being urged by their own Government to apply for benefits in Britain before moving back home.

Warsaw has published guidance on its Powroty website, which supports citizens planning to return from overseas, highlighting that British welfare payments are higher than those available in Poland.

The official advice says: "When leaving the UK, it is worth considering whether you are eligible for Jobseeker's Allowance.

"The UK unemployment benefit is higher than the equivalent benefit paid in Poland.

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"It's important to apply for it before leaving. Once you return to Poland, you won't be able to start the benefits process."

The website also gives detailed instructions on how to claim and transfer the payments.

Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Helen Whately blasted the situation, saying Britain’s welfare system has turned the country into an international "laughing stock".

"Britain has become world-renowned for our soft-touch benefits handouts," she told the Telegraph.

"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."

Under post-Brexit arrangements, EU citizens who secured settled status before December 2020 remain entitled to claim benefits for up to three months after moving to an EU member state.

It means individuals could receive hundreds of pounds from British taxpayers despite no longer seeking work in the UK.

A Government spokesman said: "The Withdrawal Agreement is a reciprocal arrangement negotiated by the previous Government, and it is not a mechanism to maximise claims on British taxpayers.

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"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."

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Polish Government said: "Individual decisions to migrate back to Poland are based on grounds other than the possibility to receive a jobseeker's allowance, including the one available under the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement to the eligible EU citizens who have lawfully paid insurance contributions during employment."

The economic balance between Britain and Poland has shifted markedly in recent years.

Poland's economy ranks among Europe’s strongest, with projected growth of 3.5 per cent this year compared to Britain’s 1.3 per cent.

Migration patterns have also reversed sharply since Brexit.

The Polish population in Britain surged from 94,000 in 2004 to nearly one million by 2016, but numbers have since declined.

Meanwhile, British emigration to Poland increased by 340 per cent between 2015 and 2024.

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