EU national, JSA to UC migration

cicciput

Hi everybody, this is my first post. I have been reading basically all threads in this subforum dating back to last year; yet I haven't found an answer to my question.

Quick recap:

- EU national, in UK for 15 years, but with an absence (see below)
- Never claimed any benefits until late 2013, till I lost my job, then left the UK for 8 months and came back in 2014.
- Claimed JSA in 2015 (six months after coming back) but it was initially refused on the ground the 8 months absence would not entitle to any benefits.
- Appealed and won, but was told I could only claim for 3 months
- Appealed again, offering to show documentation of my previous jobs and NI contributions; won the appeal (they didn't even bother asking me for proof of my documentation) and was granted JSA with no restrictions. I even have a letter from the Benefit Centre stating that they accept I am a permanent resident.
- Since then I've been in and out of JSA and this is basically the same claim, which has been extended by multiple rapid reclaims
- My area has now gone full digital. I'm still on JSA, but I understand any change in circumstances will trigger a migration to UC.

My questions:
- Can I voluntarily ask to be migrated to UC? My work coach says that I would have to quit JSA first and then make a new fresh claim for UC. Is this true?
- In any case, if I'm "naturally migrated" to UC, would I have to go through a new procedure of showing my entitlements to benefits or would my file be just moved on from JSA to UC?
I'm worried that, if I move to UC, the DWP will give me hard time, because the regulations are much stricter for UC than for JSA.

In 2015 it took me 10 months of appeals to get unrestricted JSA. Would the letter from the Benefit Centre (2015) be enough to prove my entitlements?

I don't really want to stay on the dole for the rest of my life but I just would like to know where I stand.

Thanks for reading and I'll welcome any input.