A new report has revealed that British taxpayers have spent $30 billion on unemployed immigrants since 2020. The UK’s Office of National Statistics (ONS) said there are approximately 724,000 migrants on welfare who are categorized as not working and not seeking work. The number of unemployed migrants has furthermore risen by 16% since 2020, and the figure does not include international students who also receive financial help from the British taxpayer.
UK media reports that millions of people have arrived in the UK over the past decade and immediately claimed housing benefits, unemployment benefits, and other government handouts. The report, produced by the by the Centre for Migration Control, provided ammunition for critics who argue that the government is dishonest about the economic impact of immigration.
British politicians routinely describe migration as a boost to the economy, but Centre for Migration Control Director Robert Bates said it is not the “panacea that the advocates of open borders purport it to be.” Mr. Bates said that while the UK has entered recession and the GDP has plummeted, Britain’s borders remain open, and politicians ignore the fact that “limitless migration” has imposed a net drain on the UK economy.
According to the independent think tank Migration Watch, more than 116,000 people have entered the UK on small boats since 2018. This is higher than the number of serving personnel in the British Army, and accommodation costs the taxpayer almost $7 million per day. These figures do not include illegal immigrants who arrived otherwise than by boat, and do not include legal immigration, which hit a record 745,000 last year – up from just 184,000 in 2019.
Migration Watch surveys show that most of the British public (52%) consider migration a security threat and want it reduced. When asked if they considered migration an “invasion,” 28% said yes, compared to 17% who disagreed. Forty-six percent said immigration was “mostly bad” for their country, while only 7% thought it was “mostly good.”
