British welfare rolls hit record with 1.3 million migrant claimants
Government data shows a historic peak of about 1.3 million foreign-born people receiving Universal Credit, representing 15.5 % of all claimants.
Latest figures from the Department for Work and Pensions reveal that migrants constitute a record 15.5 % of Universal Credit claimants, equating to roughly 1.3 million individuals out of a total of 8.4 million. The European Union cohort remains the biggest segment, representing 8.9 % or about three-quarters of a million people, thanks to the Brexit withdrawal agreement. Additionally, 233,000 claimants possess Indefinite Leave to Remain, a status that grants full benefit access after five years of residence.
The prospect that 1.6 million migrants who arrived between 2020 and 2024 will soon qualify for this status has sparked political contention, with proposals to extend the residency requirement to ten years. Reform UK has pledged to replace Indefinite Leave to Remain with a five-year work visa and to bar all foreigners from welfare, estimating a lifetime cost of £622.5 billion by 2085. The Shadow Chancellor argues that ending foreign welfare claims could save £21 billion by 2029.
Why it matters
The surge in migrant welfare claimants raises fiscal and policy questions for the UK taxpayer.
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