Nearly 2.6 million migrants in UK without welfare safety net, research finds

Number of people on visas with no right to access welfare rises by over one million in two years

Almost 2.6 million migrants are in the UK on visas that deny them access to welfare support, according to new estimates that analyse the rise of student and work visas.

The number of people living in the UK who have no recourse to public funds, meaning they have no right to access welfare, has risen by over one million in just two years, research shows.

Net migration to the UK has been unusually high in the past two years, with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) putting it at 606,000 in 2022. This is up from 219,000 in 2019.

Research from the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford has found that there has been a large increase in people who have the no recourse to public funds (NRPF) condition attached to their visa. This is usually attached to temporary visas used by students and workers.

Although those with NRPF should usually be on visas that help them support themselves, such as with work or study, if people lose their jobs or get dropped from their course the condition leaves them at risk of destitution.

Dr Marina Fernandez Reino, senior researcher at the Observatory, said: “The NRPF condition isn’t, in itself, a sign that someone faces poverty. Many of those with NRPF will be financially secure with no need for benefits or housing assistance. However, some are more vulnerable to economic insecurity, and the growth of the NRPF population means that the risk some people will fall into poverty is likely to be greater.”

The number of people in the UK with no recourse to public funds has risen by over a million in the past two years (PA)

Some people who arrive in the UK on care worker visas have been falling into destitution after their job offers have been withdrawn. The Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority have started investigating how the care worker visa system is being abused by criminals who bring workers to the UK on the pretence of real work, but then leave them without a job when they get here.

Some work visa holders who are able to find jobs may still be on relatively low wages, which would make their children eligible for in-work benefits if they did have access to public funds.

The Migration Observatory estimated that, at the end of 2022, the top nationalities with NRPF visas were Indian, some 665,000, Chinese, some 316,000, and Nigerian, some 268,000.

An estimated 147,000 Pakistanis and 121,000 Hong Kongers were also on UK visas but weren’t eligible for welfare support. Indian and Chinese people were the top nationality to be on student visas.

Indians also topped the list of those on work visas at some 360,200 people. This was significantly higher than the next most popular nationality – Nigerian – with 79,000 people.

The Home Office has been contacted for comment.