Fury as unemployed foreigners ‘receive £10.6bn in benefits’ | UK | News
New government data has shown a rise in the number of unemployed migrants receiving benefits, sparking debate over immigration and welfare policy. Figures published by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show that the number of unemployed foreign nationals claiming universal credit was 771,000 in January 2026, down from 497,000 in April 2022.
The Center for Migration Control (CMC) said its research showed households with at least one unemployed foreign national received £10.6 billion in universal credit between January 2024 and June 2025. This sparked outrage on social media, with people sharing their views on the figures. One person said: “It’s confusing because socialists and liberals tell us immigrants come here to work. So why do they need benefits?” Another added: “Don’t you understand why any government in the world would want to do this?”
The CMC wrote: “In 12 months alone, unemployed migrant households received £6.7 billion in benefits. The equivalent of the annual income tax paid by 900,000 full-time British workers. This could pay for the training of 20,000 British doctors. End the madness.”
During the same 18-month period, £15.1bn was paid out to households with at least one foreign-born resident; This means that around 70% of payments to such households go to households with at least one unemployed immigrant, according to the CMC.
Total social security spending in Great Britain is currently forecast to reach £323.1 billion over a 12-month period in 2025-26, with the majority paid out to UK citizens, particularly pensioners, disabled people, carers and low-income working families.
As of January this year, the number of people using universal credit was 8.4 million.
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Of these, 84.5% were UK, Irish or Residence Rights holders, 9.0% were EU Settlement Programme, 0.6% were humanitarian arrivals and 1.6% were refugees.
Eligibility for universal credit requires passing the Permanent Residence Test and some claimants classified as unemployed may be self-employed or temporarily unemployed.
While around 55% of all welfare spending is expected to go to pensioners, significant sums are spent on disability support, housing costs and child benefits.
The DWP said it was continuing to monitor trends in universal credit claims and reviewing eligibility rules as discussions continue about how to balance fairness, economic contribution and social protection in the welfare system.
