THE number of migrants who have come to the UK and then started claiming Carers Allowance benefit has DOUBLED in the last six years pushing the annual bill to almost £200million.
Latest figures from the Government show there were 60,000 people claiming the benefit who have come here from abroad - a massive 10 PERCENT of all claimants.
It means the bill for these foreign-born claimants of the £62.10-per-week benefit is £3.7million every week.
The statistics show the number of people claiming the benefit who when they applied for a National Insurance number declared that they born in a foreign country.
.People can claim Carers Allowance if they are looking after a person who is on some kind of benefit to help with their care, even if they are not related to them.
The figures show that the numbers of migrant claimants of this benefit in the UK has risen from 29,370 in 2010 to this year's figure of 60,000.
During the same time period the number of claimants born in the so-called EU-10 nations behind the old Iron Curtain has quadrupled from 1,770 to 8,910.
Claims from African-born claimants have more than doubled in the past six years while the number of Asian-born people pocketing the payments has risen just slightly slower.
It means that whereas foreign-born claimants of Carers Allowance amounted to seven percent of the total in 2010, they now make up 9.2 per cent of the 653,610 people who claim the benefit.
The figures show that the top ten nations whose inhabitants are claiming the benefit: 1. Pakistan (11,510) 2. Bangladesh (5,020) 3. India (4,650) 4. Poland (3,760) 5. Somalia (2,880) 6. Turkey (1,690) 7. Iraq (1,620) 8. Ireland (1,150) 9. Iran (1,080) 10. Holland (1,030).
People are only allowed to claim the payment if they declare themselves as spending at least 35 hours every week caring for somebody else and that they take home no more than £110 per week from any other employment.
A Ukip spokesman, said: "We have to understand that these claims are for those who need the help, but how can we have built an immigration system where tens of thousands arrive, who are unable to work, and require others to go on benefits to help them?
"A fair points based immigration system would ensure that only those with sufficient insurance would be able to move here, and therefore decrease the burden on the UK taxpayer."
A Department of Work and Pensions spokesman, said: "Carers provide an invaluable service to relatives or friends who are ill, frail or disabled.
"There are safeguards in place to ensure that only genuine carers are able to claim Carers Allowance. They must be caring for someone for at least 35 hours a week, and need to have been in the country for at least two years before they become eligible."
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