Welfare Benefits Claimed by Foreign Nationals Reach Nearly £1 Billion Monthly

According to recent findings, foreign nationals are claiming around £1 billion in welfare benefits each month from the British government. This situation raises questions about the effectiveness of the economic strategy that relies on importing millions of immigrants.

Data from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), obtained through a Freedom of Information request by Conservative MP Neil O’Brien, shows that households with at least one foreign national claimed £941 million in Universal Credit benefits this month. The telegraph paper reported on this concerning figure.

This welfare program is designed to support low-income working-age households across the UK, and it also extends to migrants who have been granted indefinite leave or refugee status.

The request revealed a stark increase in benefit claims by migrant households, which have more than doubled over the past four years. For context, these households received just £461 million in March 2022.

In the past year alone, there was a nearly 30% surge in payments, rising from £726 million a month last March to almost £1 billion this year.

Now, households with foreign residents represent 15.5% of the total £6.05 billion disbursed in Universal Credit payments this month, up from 14.1% four years ago.

On these findings, former Health Minister Neil O’Brien stated, “Both benefit spending growth and migration rates are growing too fast, and governments are doing too little to change either trend.” He emphasized that migrants are aware that reaching the UK means they will be permitted to stay, which perpetuates the cycle of immigration. He argued that the UK’s lenient welfare system exacerbates the situation.

Left-wing Labor MPs are increasingly acknowledging the financial strain that the influx of migrants is placing on the country’s resources, especially as the government contemplates cuts to welfare benefits for citizens while foreign claimants continue to receive substantial payouts.

Graham Stringer, an MP for Brackley and Middleton South, remarked, “Given the state of the country’s finances, everything needs to be looked at and reassessed—this spending on foreign claimants is, in my view, not a priority.” He further emphasized the need to prioritize resources and suggested that these claims could impact Personal Independence Payments and winter fuel allowances for British citizens.

Interestingly, calculations suggest that just two months of welfare spending on immigrant households could fund the reduction in winter fuel payments for UK pensioners.

Facing the fiscal challenges brought on by mass immigration—particularly the recent arrivals dubbed the ‘Boris Wave’—Nigel Farage, Brexit leader, has proposed eliminating the ‘Leave Indefinite’ policy. This policy allows migrants from the ‘Boris Wave’ to attain a status akin to permanent residency, giving them the ability to live, work, study in the UK indefinitely, and access welfare benefits like Universal Credit.

The UK Reform Party, led by Farage, is advocating for welfare to be restricted to British nationals and is calling for the abolishment of indefinite leave, suggesting a shift to a five-year work visa system similar to that of the United States.