The principle of freedom of movement within the European Union means that intra-EU migrants should enjoy a privileged status with respect to welfare rights compared with other migrants. Yet, following EU enlargement to the East these rights have come under pressure. Restrictions have been increased or considered, justified on the basis that intra-EU migrants are potential abusers of the richer EU countries’ benefit systems who drive up public spending. In the UK, where change has been greatest, economists have countered such claims, demonstrating that at a macro level migrants have enhanced productivity and GDP and are not a social burden. What such studies leave unexplored is how migrants engage at a micro level with social policy; how they might use welfare states to integrate themselves as productive citizens in their host societies. Comparative social policy analysts have focused on theses economic ‘investment’ aspects of social policy but their attention has been on native groups.
Against this background our paper assumes social policies have helped migrants to make an economic contribution. Lacking empirical studies, to substantiate our assumption we construct, using migration data, three typical migrant biographies and show how changes to migrants’ access to the UK welfare system since 2013 have affected the social risks they face. The paper argues that social policies have supported migrants’ economic contribution and that increased restrictions have already made it more difficult for motivated and capable individuals to be productive. The paper shows how an even tighter post-Brexit regime would make the situation worse.
