Foreigners banned from retiring to Britain

Pensioners oustside the EU will be banned from moving to Britain to retire, it has been disclosed.

The current legislation allows non European Union residents, aged 60 or over, to retire to Britain if they have a net disposable yearly income of at least £25,000 and are able to accommodate themselves and any dependents without needing public funds.

They are not required to have worked or paid taxes in the UK and are entitled to free healthcare on arrival. After five years they have full access to the benefit system and are also entitled to apply for settlement and a British passport.

The Home Office is set to change the rules, saying the policy did not fit in with the idea of 'earned citizenship'.

"It is difficult to reconcile the existence and entitlements of this route with the Government's conviction that citizenship should be earned and that migrants must demonstrate certain requirements in order to progress on their journey" according to the new guidance. "Although the migrants need to be self sufficient, the amount of disposable income that these migrants must demonstrate may not match the demands they may place on public services," it added.

However, there are concerns that countries like New Zealand, Australia and America will retaliate by imposing similar restrictions of their own, affecting thousands of Britons.