In total, £15.1 billion went to households including at least one foreign national, encompassing both unemployed migrants and those in low-paid jobs.
More than £10bn has been hoovered up in the last 18 months by households in which at least one occupant is a jobless migrant, new data has indicated. Official figures, disclosed under Freedom of Information laws, reveal that £10.6 billion in Universal Credit (UC) was paid to households with at least one unemployed foreign national between January 2024 and June 2025.
This marks the first time the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has released such data, obtained by the Centre for Migration Control. In total, £15.1 billion went to households including at least one foreign national, encompassing both unemployed migrants and those in low-paid jobs topping up earnings with UC. Foreign nationals gain eligibility for benefits on par with British citizens upon receiving indefinite leave to remain (ILR) or refugee status.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood (Image: Getty)
The revelations heap pressure on Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to accelerate reforms, delaying ILR from five to 10 years. Ms Mahmood has also floated barring migrants from benefits until they secure British citizenship, aiming to ensure foreign nationals “earn their right” to stay.
Robert Bates, research director at the Centre for Migration Control, lambasted the payouts, telling The Telegraph: “It is a no-brainer that we should be ending benefit payments to foreign nationals, especially those who are unemployed. The British taxpayer does not exist to fund the lifestyle of migrants.
“It is unconscionable that hard-working men and women are being walloped with tax rises and experiencing a decline in living standards, whilst billions are being wasted in this manner. We need to end ILR to ensure that the British welfare system only helps those who are citizens of this country.”
Separate data underscores the surge: Unemployed migrants on benefits jumped 55 % from 497,000 in April 2022 to 771,000 in January 2026. However, DWP recording methods mean some funds may reach British-born claimants in mixed households, and certain “unemployed” recipients could be self-employed.
Earlier figures showed migrant and refugee UC claimants more than doubling since 2022. Meanwhile, households with hefty benefit bills are proliferating. DWP data on working-age-headed households claiming over £40,000 annually in real terms shows sharp rises: from 23,167 in 2002-03 to 93,479 in 2023-24 for £40,000-£45,000 brackets, with higher tiers ballooning similarly.
Britain’s overall benefits bill is projected to swell from £140 billion to £177 billion by parliament’s end. Ministers fret over the “Boriswave” – up to 2.2 million migrants arriving post-Brexit – soon qualifying for ILR and benefits.
Yet Labour backbenchers are poised to revolt, especially against retrospective application of the 10-year delay to Boriswave arrivals. A government spokesman defended the stance: “This Government is clear: if you come to the UK,you should contribute. That is why we are planning to double the standard time most migrants have to wait before they can access benefits to 10 years and consulting on prioritising benefits for those who contribute to the UK economy.
“People in the UK illegally who do not hold an immigration status are not allowed to claim taxpayer-funded benefits.”
The DWP attributed the foreign national claimant rise partly to transitions from legacy benefits to UC, mirroring trends among British nationals. Critics argue the system remains unsustainable, fuelling taxpayer fury amid economic squeezes.
