New research have revealed that migrant households received more than £15billion in benefit payments from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) during an 18-month period.
These figures indicate that approximately 70 per cent of this substantial sum is directed to households containing at least one unemployed foreign national.
The shocking data, obtained through Freedom of Information (FoI) requests by the Centre for Migration Control think-tank, represent the first occasion on which DWP officials have revealed the scale of welfare distributed to support unemployed migrants.
Said data covers households where at least one claimant is identified as a foreign national, not including those from the UK, Crown Dependencies, or Ireland, and had demonstrated through the Habitual Residence Test that Britain is their primary home.
More than £15bn in DWP benefit bills have been handed to migrant households, new data claims
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Critics have seized upon the findings as evidence that the benefits system requires urgent overhaul.
Robert Bates, research director at the Centre for Migration Control, said: “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.”
Mr Bates added: “It is unconscionable that hardworking men and women are being walloped with tax rises, and experiencing a decline in living standards, while billions are being wasted in this manner.”
He called for an end to Indefinite Leave to Remain to ensure welfare support is reserved exclusively for British citizens.
Universal Credit claimants are encouraged to check their local authority website and contact their energy supplier to confirm what support is available | PA
The DWP is making dramatic changes to its services, including to Jobcentres | PA
William Yarwood, media campaign manager at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “These figures demolish the claim that most migrants on Universal Credit are in work. Ministers must tighten eligibility. Access to Britain should not mean automatic access to benefits.”
Centre for Migration Control’s breakdown reveals that £9.5 billion in Universal Credit was distributed throughout 2024, followed by a further £5.6 billion in the first half of 2025.
Of the 2024 total, some £6.7billion went to households where the foreign national claimant was without employment.
To put the annual figure in perspective, every one of Britain’s 28.6 million households would need to contribute £332 to cover the 2024 bill alone, which is the equivalent to funding the starting salaries of 225,000 Metropolitan Police officers.
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden | GB News
Because Universal Credit is calculated as a household benefit, some payments may actually support British-born individuals residing in the same property. Additionally, certain foreign nationals classified as unemployed may in fact be self-employed.
The Government has responded by announcing plans to double the standard waiting period before migrants can access benefits from five to ten years.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood confirmed in November that migrants would only become eligible for welfare and social housing upon obtaining British citizenship, rather than upon being granted settlement as current rules permit.
A Government spokesperson stated: “This Government is clear: if you come to the UK, you should contribute.”