Overview
- DWP data show 179,482 non‑EU migrants with indefinite leave to remain were on Universal Credit in December 2024, against an estimated 720,500 settled non‑EU citizens, indicating roughly one in four claimants.
- New reporting cites DWP statistics showing non‑EU Universal Credit claimants climbed to more than 222,000 in January 2026.
- FOI releases indicate over £10 billion in Universal Credit was paid to non‑UK or Irish citizens in 2024, and 112,000 people with refugee status were claiming the benefit—about two‑thirds of refugee adults and excluding resettlement arrivals.
- Home Office projections foresee around 1.6 million more people gaining settled status between 2026 and 2030, with media extrapolations applying current rates suggesting close to 400,000 UC claimants and a potential bill of up to £5.5 billion a year by 2030.
- Conservative figures propose removing immediate benefit entitlement for those granted ILR and doubling the residency period to ten years, while the government points to new ILR conditions such as being in work and having no criminal record and to ongoing consultations.