World Immigration News

Immigration status of benefit claimants published for first time

Release Date: 2025-07-16
Media: BBC
Summary: In June 2025, the UK government published data on the immigration status of Universal Credit (UC) claimants for the first time. Nearly eight million people were receiving UC, with 83.6% being British or Irish nationals and over one million born overseas, including around 700,000 EU citizens who arrived before Brexit. About 1.5% of claimants were refugees, and 0.7% had arrived via safe routes such as those for Ukrainians and Afghans. Over 75,000 temporary residents, who typically wouldn’t qualify for benefits, were also claiming UC.

Most foreign nationals can only claim UC after five years of residency, though exceptions exist for some groups, such as victims of modern slavery. Since April 2022, the proportion of overseas-born claimants has remained steady between 15% and 17%, while the total number of claimants increased from 5.5 million to 7.9 million. Around half of EU claimants were employed, compared to about a fifth of refugees.

The data release followed pressure from Conservative MPs and independent MP Rupert Lowe. The government emphasized it does not allow illegal immigrants to claim UC and is tightening rules, including doubling the wait time before migrants can obtain permanent status. The opposition criticized the figures as evidence of loss of control over welfare, and Conservatives argued foreign nationals should not receive certain benefits like disability payments or the health element of UC. Despite efforts to reduce welfare spending, some planned cuts were rolled back after internal opposition, but health-related UC payments for new claims will be reduced starting April 2026.
Tags: United Kingdom

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