Immigrants and social welfare - what are they entitled to?

stoneill

Over the last few years I have head of all sorts of entitlements for immigrants.
Allowances for cars, houses, buggies, phones, nappies, bin charges, baby buggies, and on and on..
The latest one I heard is that there is an allowance for dog licences.

Not for one moment do I believe any of this, but it does infuriate me that
1) People go on an on about immigrants fleecing the welfare.
Just look around - the indigenous population seem to be dab hands at that!

2) people making up new allowances.
Why is this? Is this just latent racism of the "I'm not racist but...." type?

FreudianSlippers

Firstly, it depends on your definition of immigrants. Other EU citizens are entitled to the same social benefits that Irish nationals are - as are you entitled to those benefits in other EU Member States. Now, there are a lot of rules and exceptions surrounding this - mainly in the freedom of movement itself (job prospects etc.) - that is, one cannot just move to another Member State in order to get the benefits.

As for your two points:
1) Agreed. Blaming immigrants is fairly ignorant and extraordinarily stupid coming from the Irish. Pot, meet kettle... PS: he's black.
2) Yes. Blatant, ignorant racism IMO. Just as harmful and as bigoted as any other types of direct racism.

paul71

Oisin you stated that other EU nationals are entitled to the same treatment as Irish nationals. That is almost true but not quite, in order to make a claim for Job seekers benefit or allowance you must prove habitual residence in Ireland. Lets say an Italian national arrives in Ireland for the first time and seeks to obtain benefits, in that instance they would not be entitled to them.

It is true in the sense that an Irish national who has been habitually resident in Italy for the last 10 years would also not have an entitlement to Irish Social welfare.

djpbarry

paul71 wrote: »

Lets say an Italian national arrives in Ireland for the first time and seeks to obtain benefits, in that instance they would not be entitled to them.

The same would also be true of an Irish passport holder who arrived in Ireland for the first time - they would not satisfy the habitual residency condition.

paul71

djpbarry wrote: »

The same would also be true of an Irish passport holder who arrived in Ireland for the first time - they would not satisfy the habitual residency condition.

Correct. As I stated in the second part of my post.

later12

Irish people who are of low or limited means can get all sorts of free handouts from the state as well as their social welfare payments, not least among them money for fridges and household furniture.

It's a system which is run by Community Welfare Officers usually very fairly and on a needs basis. Presumably it has taken a huge budgetary hit though I'm unclear on how it's beef effected.

I was canvassing a lot in 2007 and there were a lot of requests made to us in particular estates that if the candidate got in he might have a word with the community welfare officer about something or other. Of course he had no influence at all over the CWO, but we being canvassers capitulated emphatically.

Usually little old ladies and young mothers use it in my experience.

Anyway, I only mention it because I presume there is a similar if not the equivalent scheme in place for immigrants and asylum seekers - and maybe that is where some of these bizarre stories arise from.

Max Power1

stoneill wrote: »

The latest one I heard is that there is an allowance for dog licences.

There is an allowance for dog licences, amongst other things.

Such allowances are available for all on JSA to apply for, not just immigrants

saintNsinnerr

I am from India. I have been working in Ireland since 2002 , never ever took a penny off the state as benefits or other hand outs.. neither did my wife... there are called values a Man grows up with. But some people make it a habit of living on hand outs , hence giving alll immigrants a bad name and if U want to talk abt a certain nationality that stands out like a sore thumb doing this , is Nigerians.
Now U wud say aaaaa.. not everyone is the same , well I say "sure is not" , but when U find out that 62% of nigerians living in Ireland who are currently at a working age arent working , then it seems like more like a pattern , `scam` if U will.

Slightly off topic.
My wife`s friend used to work at a assylum camp in Athlone. She worked in the kitchen serving food to teh people living in those camps.everybody come in teh morning and stand in a Q and wait for their turn to be served. The portions are substantial and everybody gets equal amount of food. So she was serving food one morning and served this Nigerian woman her due share. The woman shouted at her and said that she want moore sausages.. this girl said that everybody gets equal share of food.. this Nigerian woman was furious over this , i am quoting the exact same words that came out of that Nigerian woman," you ****ing white B***H. give me more sausage , i will not move till i get more , you ****ing racist"

So i understand why a lot of ppl are pissed off with the benefits handed to the `scammers` while the needy are left behind , irish adn non irish.. I put all the blame on the foolish govt. I think they shud learn a wee bit from the UK govt. policy.

later12

saintNsinnerr wrote: »

Slightly off topic.
My wife`s friend used to work at a assylum camp in Athlone. She worked in the kitchen serving food to teh people living in those camps.everybody come in teh morning and stand in a Q and wait for their turn to be served. The portions are substantial and everybody gets equal amount of food. So she was serving food one morning and served this Nigerian woman her due share. The woman shouted at her and said that she want moore sausages.. this girl said that everybody gets equal share of food.. this Nigerian woman was furious over this , i am quoting the exact same words that came out of that Nigerian woman," you ****ing white B***H. give me more sausage , i will not move till i get more , you ****ing racist"

In fairness... I hate when I don't get enough sausages.

Anyway, can you back up that 62% non employment figure with a link?

not yet

saintNsinnerr wrote: »

I am from India. I have been working in Ireland since 2002 , never ever took a penny off the state as benefits or other hand outs.. neither did my wife... there are called values a Man grows up with. But some people make it a habit of living on hand outs , hence giving alll immigrants a bad name and if U want to talk abt a certain nationality that stands out like a sore thumb doing this , is Nigerians.
Now U wud say aaaaa.. not everyone is the same , well I say "sure is not" , but when U find out that 62% of nigerians living in Ireland who are currently at a working age arent working , then it seems like more like a pattern , `scam` if U will.

Slightly off topic.
My wife`s friend used to work at a assylum camp in Athlone. She worked in the kitchen serving food to teh people living in those camps.everybody come in teh morning and stand in a Q and wait for their turn to be served. The portions are substantial and everybody gets equal amount of food. So she was serving food one morning and served this Nigerian woman her due share. The woman shouted at her and said that she want moore sausages.. this girl said that everybody gets equal share of food.. this Nigerian woman was furious over this , i am quoting the exact same words that came out of that Nigerian woman," you ****ing white B***H. give me more sausage , i will not move till i get more , you ****ing racist"

So i understand why a lot of ppl are pissed off with the benefits handed to the `scammers` while the needy are left behind , irish adn non irish.. I put all the blame on the foolish govt. I think they shud learn a wee bit from the UK govt. policy.

Ah....a racist non national, how funny.

saintNsinnerr

later10 wrote: »

In fairness... I hate when I don't get enough sausages.

Anyway, can you back up that 62% non employment figure with a link?

i read it somewhere in boards.ie... it was somthing like... "only 38% of the nigerians in a working age DO work".. so its abt 62% who arent/dont want to be in the employment!!

saintNsinnerr

not yet wrote: »

Ah....a racist non national, how funny.

Well call it the R word or no... but why shud ALL the non nationals take the curses for what a couple of communities do , i.e. not putting their fair share in the economy ????? Ireland is not my country of birth but i achieved a lot living here here...not essentially in moneytory gains, its like a home away from home .. if I had to do somthing for the country I wont be taking the back seat!!!

breadandjam

saintNsinnerr wrote: »

i read it somewhere in boards.ie... it was somthing like... "only 38% of the nigerians in a working age DO work".. so its abt 62% who arent/dont want to be in the employment!!

Hardly a reliable source.
Not all immigrants are allowed to work.

Amhran Nua

saintNsinnerr wrote: »

I am from India.

भारत में से तुम कहाँ हो?

MyPeopleDrankTheSoup

later10 wrote: »

Anyway, can you back up that 62% non employment figure with a link?

wow, I thought he was pulling that number of out his arse as well but a quick Google found it. From the 2006 census.

CSO PDF, page 16
http://www.cso.ie/census/documents/PROFILES%20OF%20NATIONALITIES%201-5.pdf

The percentage of Nigerians aged 15 or over at
work in 2006 was the lowest of all groups featured
at 38 per cent, though this splits unevenly between
males (50%) and females (30%). In comparison
with the other nationalities profiled, a relatively high
number were unemployed or looking for their first
job (31%).

vibe666

niallo27 wrote: »

Is there anything more anoying than being ****ed off the footpath by some Nigerian bird with her 8 Kids and her gigantic arse

yes there is. racism.

oh, and i forgot sexism, kidism & fatism.

MyPeopleDrankTheSoup

vibe666 wrote: »

yes there is. racism.

oh, and i forgot sexism, kidism & fatism.

kidism is one of the biggest problems this country faces these days. it disgusts me. well done, great post vibe666, would buy again aaa+++

saintNsinnerr

Amhran Nua wrote: »

भारत में से तुम कहाँ हो?

i wud rather ans in english mate... for the obvious reasons.. Punjab
and if u want to ask personal mess , pls pm me , this is not the right place.

later12

saintNsinnerr wrote: »

i read it somewhere in boards.ie... it was somthing like... "only 38% of the nigerians in a working age DO work".. so its abt 62% who arent/dont want to be in the employment!!

Not necessarily, they could be students or not be entitled to work for whatever reason, or asylum seekers, or else working in the black economy (no pun intended).

Anyway that statistic you report appears to be 4 years old.

maninasia

Obviously most Nigerians would have been asylum seekers, at least back then, asylum seekers are not approved to work..so scratch that statistic as being relevant.

Max Power1

saintNsinnerr wrote: »

i wud rather ans in english mate... for the obvious reasons.. Punjab
and if u want to ask personal mess , pls pm me , this is not the right place.

Amhran Nua wrote: »

भारत में से तुम कहाँ हो?

मुझे यकीन है कि (saintNsinnerr) वह नहीं समझती हूँ.