Migrants quizzed on English skills before benefits

Immigrants to the UK are being tested on their English skills before being able to claim income-related benefits under a new scheme. People are being 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. Labour supports English tests but says ministers are ignoring the exploitation of low-skilled migrant workers. UKIP spokesman dismissed the move as "gesture politics" and said "a far more effective filter, if we had control of our borders, would be to have migrants learn English before they come to the UK," something, he added, that would be illegal under EU law. Job centres in England, Scotland and Wales began using the "more robust" language tests on Monday and they are being rolled out to all centres. 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". 'Strict rules' "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. (...) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-25360167