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<p>While the Government checks the immigration status of benefit claimants to ensure
the benefit is paid properly and to prevent fraud, traditionally that information
has not been collected as part of the payment administrative systems.</p><p> </p><p>However,
the Government is looking at ways to reform the current administrative system under
Universal Credit so that it will systematically record nationality and immigration
status of migrants who make a claim.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has made a radical
series of changes over the last year to restrict the access by non-UK citizens from
the European Economic Area to UK benefits and tax credits. This is in order to protect
the UK’s benefit system and discourage people who have no established connection with
the UK from moving here, unless they have a job or a genuine prospect of work, or
have savings to support themselves until they do.</p>
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