The UK is seeing unprecedented numbers of foreign nationals out of work, with almost 1.3 million claiming Universal Credit as of July 2025, official figures reveal.
According to the Department for Work and Pensions, 759,000 of these claimants are not in employment, while just over 524,000 receive in-work support. The caseload includes more than 174,000 refugees or people with humanitarian protection, around 770,000 granted EU settled status, and over 213,000 with indefinite leave to remain.
The number has surged by 40 percent in three years, rising from roughly 928,000 in mid-2022. Critics say this places mounting pressure on the benefits system, especially as job vacancies decline and recruitment slows.
Robert Bates, research director at the Centre for Migration Control, warned that the public was being forced to fund support for over a million foreign nationals, calling for an end to the “low-wage, low-skill” migration model.
