Data showing the immigration status of people claiming universal credit has been published for the first time.
Around four in five (83.6%) of those on the benefit as of last month were British and Irish nationals and those who live or work in the UK without any immigration restrictions.
This amounted to 6.6 million of the total 7.9 million people on universal credit (UC) in June.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said it had published the statistics “following a public commitment to investigate and develop breakdowns of the UC caseload by the immigration status of foreign nationals in receipt of UC”.
UC is a payment to help with living costs and is available for people on low incomes or those who are out of work or cannot work.
The next largest group on UC were people with EU Settlement Scheme settled status who have a right to reside in the UK, accounting for 9.7% (770,379), while 2.7% (211,090) of the total had indefinite leave to remain in the UK.
Refugees accounted for 1.5% (118,749) of people on UC, while 0.7% (54,156) were people who had come by safe and legal humanitarian routes including under the Ukraine and Afghan resettlement schemes.
A total of 75,267 people – making up 1% of the total on UC – had limited leave to remain in the UK, covering those with temporary immigration status.
The rest – some 65,346 people – were either no longer receiving UC payments or had no immigration status recorded on digital systems, the DWP said.
Independent MP Rupert Lowe, an ex-member of Reform UK, welcomed the pledge to publish the data, describing it as a “huge win” for those who had “relentlessly pushed for this”.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp branded the figures “staggering” and claimed they are “clear proof that the Labour government has lost control of our welfare system”.
He said: “Under Kemi Badenoch, we’ve set out a clear, common-sense position. Universal Credit should be reserved for UK citizens only. This is about fairness, responsibility and protecting support for those who’ve contributed to this country.”
But the Government said the proportion of UC payments “to foreign nationals has already fallen since last July”.
The overall numbers of UC claimants who are refugees, have EU settled status, arrived under a humanitarian route or have either limited or indefinite leave to remain in the UK have risen year-on-year – from 1,131,231 in June 2024 to 1,229,64 last month.
However the proportion has fallen, with these categories accounting for 15.6% of the total UC claimants in June, down from 16.5% a year earlier when the Conservatives were still in Government.
The number of British and Irish nationals and those who live or work in the UK without any immigration restrictions – covering those in the Common Travel Area (CTA) – rose by almost a million from 5.6 million in June last year to 6.6 million last month.
The proportion also rose slightly from 82.5% to 83.6%.
A Government spokesperson said: “People in the UK illegally, with no immigration status, cannot receive Universal Credit, and have no access to public funds.
“But we want to tighten up the system by doubling the current length of time it takes to apply once legal status is awarded, from five to 10 years, as part of a new contribution-based model to settlement.
“We inherited a broken welfare system and spiralling, unsustainable benefits bill. We’re acting to reform the system, including tightening these sorts of rules.”
People can only access UC if they have an immigration status that provides recourse to public funds.
Those with no recourse to public funds (NRPF) cannot claim most benefits, tax credits or housing assistance that are paid by the state.
Asylum seekers do not have access to UC as they have NRPF but those granted refugee status – deemed to have been forced to flee their country because of a well-founded fear of persecution, war, or violence – can claim the benefit.
The total number of people on UC has risen from 6.8 million in June 2024 to 7.9 million a year later.
Just over a third (34% or 2.7 million) of those on UC were in work as of May.
While refugees on UC had the lowest rate of employment at 22%, the department said those who have only recently been granted refugee status cannot be in employment at that point as asylum seekers are not permitted to work.
