Poland tells its citizens to cash in on British benefits before returning home

Published: 14:14, 26 June 2026 | Updated: 14:21, 26 June 2026 Poland has encouraged its citizens living over in the UK to cash in on Britain's welfare system before coming back home. Writing on Powroty - a website for those planning to return from abroad - the Polish government advised: '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. It's important to apply for it before leaving. Once you return to Poland, you won't be able to start the benefits process.'  Post-Brexit, European Union citizens who acquire a settled status before December 2020 can claim benefits payments when they move to a country within the EU for up to three months. Despite not looking for employment in the UK, they will be able to benefit from hundreds of pounds at the cost of the British taxpayer. Powroty offers clear cut instructions on how to apply for the benefits and carry them over to Poland. UK government officials have called Britain's welfare system a 'laughing stock' as the economy continues to grapple with sluggish growth and living standards. Helen Whately, the shadow work and pensions secretary, told the Telegraph: 'Britain has become world-renowned for our soft-touch benefits handouts. Poland has encouraged its citizens living in the UK to cash in on Britain's welfare system before coming back home. Pictured: The Baltic country's Prime Minister Donald Tusk in 2024 '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. We have become a laughing stock.' With Poland's rising prosperity, its government has said citizens were leaving Britain for a better life. A spokesperson said Poland offers 'attractive job opportunities; the fact that the Polish economy has seen uninterrupted and dynamic economic growth over the past 28 years; the possibility of living and working among friends and family; and a high level of public safety'.  Thousands of Britons are moving to Poland attracted by the Eastern European country's cheap cost of living and fast economic growth. Throughout the mid-2000s the number of Poles in Britain soared from 94,000 in 2004 to close to a million in 2016, attracted by the offer of a better life. But in the years since the UK left the EU the number of Poles moving to Britain has decreased - and now record numbers of Britons are moving to Poland. Poland's economy is among the strongest in Europe, growing by a projected 3.5 per cent this year, while the UK economy grew by a measly 1.3 per cent. The number of Brits moving to Poland jumped by a whopping 340 per cent between 2015 to 2024, ahead of countries such as Malta and France where British expats have traditionally emigrated. In 2023, Poland's Brexit-hating Prime Minister Donald Tusk gloated that 'Poles will be wealthier than the British' by 2030 because 'it's better to be in the EU'.  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.' They added that only a small number of people living outside the UK were claiming Job Seeker's Allowance.  A Polish government spokesman 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 comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.