Migrants who have permission to be in the UK are avoiding seeking vital medical treatment for fear of being arrested, a charity has warned.
The need to introduce residence permits to restrict access to public services and welfare benefits for new migrants stems from the simple fact that despite the Home Office's £800m "e-borders" project nobody's passport is stamped with the date they entered Britain.
The proposal does not go as far as banning EU migrants access to income-related benefits entirely for the first year in the UK, as had previously been suggested.
The 2 million people from other EU states who live in Britain will be forced to have resident permits or identity cards if David Cameron is to fulfil his pledge to make rules on access to public services for new migrants the toughest in Europe.
Anelay said: "The government believes the most effective way to prevent refugees and migrants attempting this dangerous crossing is to focus our attention on countries of origin and transit, as well as taking steps to fight the people smugglers who wilfully put lives at risk by packing migrants into unseaworthy boats".
In a speech setting out the government package to deter so-called benefit tourism, Cameron will say EU migrants can only continue to claim jobseekers allowance if they have been continuously actively seeking work and have a realistic imminent prospect of finding a job.
Human rights organisations have raised fears that more migrants and refugees will die in their attempt to reach Europe from the north African coast.
Downing Street also struggled as it emerged that: Of the two million net migrants to the UK from the eight eastern European countries that joined the EU in 2004, just 13,000 people have claimed jobseeker's allowance (JSA).
A third driver was racism in the housing market: many new migrants in the 1950s to 1970s faced appalling discrimination with "No blacks, no Irish, no dogs" signs common in the windows of lodging houses.
The foreign affairs ministers had reportedly said they would not actively search for the migrants but on Thursday Malaysia's premier, Najib Razak, ordered the navy and maritime officials to launch a search-and-rescue mission for the boat people.
The deaths of around 1,800 people in the Mediterranean so far this year has also led to increasing discussion of how best to stem the flow of migrants from North Africa.
