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Story summary
- Migrant families claimed a record £11.9 billion in universal credit in 2025.
- The amount is 25 percent higher than the £9.5 billion paid in 2024.
- Claims from households with a foreign national accounted for 15.6 percent of all universal credit payments.
- Sixty-five percent (£7.7 billion) of migrant claims went to unemployed recipients.
- Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood proposed extending indefinite-leave eligibility to 20 years and imposing a 15-year wait for foreign care workers.
