Migrants drew Universal Credit on close to 1.5 million occasions last year - representing roughly one in every six people who received the benefit, new figures show.
The analysis, published by the DWP for the first time after a freedom of information request by the Centre for Migration Control , reveals migrants accounted for 15.6 per cent of the 9.6 million Universal Credit recipients recorded over the year to December 2025.
The total is around 200,000 above the snapshot figure of 1.3 million taken at the close of 2025, because the annual count includes anyone who drew the benefit at any point during the year, even if they later entered employment.
The release adds to the political heat on Labour over Shabana Mahmood's proposed settlement reforms, under which migrants arriving during the "Boriswave" would be required to wait a decade before qualifying to settle and access benefits.
Under current rules, migrants qualify for benefits on receiving ILR, refugee status or humanitarian protection - but all three main parties are now exploring or actively pursuing plans to push that threshold back to the point of citizenship.
Breaking down the claimants by status: 899,000 held EU settlement scheme residency, 332,652 had ILR or limited ILR including dependants, 145,230 were refugees and 66,497 had humanitarian protection, reports The Telegraph. A further 54,749 were described as "other," while 31,195 had no immigration status recorded on digital systems.
Britain's total welfare bill is forecast to swell from £313 billion this financial year to £373 billion before the decade is out, even as the government grapples with a widening fiscal deficit.
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: "The Conservatives would ban all benefits claims by immigrants, except EU citizens with permanent settlement here. This ban would apply to all immigrants who are not British citizens.
"Foreigners who come here should make a contribution and not take benefits funded by hard-working taxpayers. It is simply unfair and immoral if someone can enter the UK and claim benefits before becoming a citizen.
"Taxpayers who get up early and work hard all day should not be funding benefits for immigrants. Labour's benefits bonanza has to end."
Robert Bates, the research director at CMC, said: "Last year, taxpayers of this country were required to support 1.5 million economically dependent foreign individuals.
"This country is becoming the food bank of the world at a time when British people are seeing a decline in their quality of life. Unless the Home Secretary acts decisively to stop the 'Boriswave', this dire situation will descend into a full-blown fiscal crisis."
Under Labour's proposals, the wait for ILR would be extended from five to ten years, with candidates required to demonstrate employment, a high level of English and a broader contribution to society. A separate consultation is examining whether benefit eligibility should be withheld altogether until citizenship is granted - which typically adds another one to three years beyond ILR.
A Government spokesman said: "The proportion of Universal Credit claimants who are foreign nationals has fallen in the past year, and we will double the time that migrants must live in the country before they qualify for any public funds.
"These reforms will ensure those who seek to live here permanently contribute to our country first, paying in more than they take out."
