One million immigrants claiming benefits

[AnxiousApocalypse]

Just been reading the comments sections of the Daily Telegraph and Daily Mail articles about the one million foreigners claiming benefits in the UK. It feels like the final nail in the coffin and a lot of people will feel even more justified in expressing their anger and hate towards immigrants. What happens when Reform win the next general election and come into power? Will people be rounded up en masse and put in detention centres like the USA?

Where are you going to build these centres? How much will it cost do you think?

I would take all the women in Afghanistan who cannot speak outside their home, see a doctor and want to go to school in a heartbeat.

There should be asylum, two to three years of living in single person accommodation and access to English lessons and training. Then you get a job, and have the same visa limitations as spousal migrants - never access social security benefits again. True asylum seekers would think of this as a wonderful opportunity.

You lack comprehension skills which is understandable.

We have something in the UK called 'welfare'. Depending on your need eg seeking employment or disability, what you can claim varies. Asylum seekers aren't entitled by law to claim benefits.

They're entitled to certain rights under the Refugee Convention, for example accommodation and obviously food. This doesn't come from the welfare bill. That's because they can't claim benefits.

The childishness is repeating the same rubbish over and over again despite being corrected.

Germany is huge compared to us. We're a tiny island drowning with immigrants it seems. I'll only change my mind when I'm no longer the only white face on the bus and when I can access housing and healthcare resources that aren't drowning because we've let too many immigrants in and our borders and border force are absolutely useful. I'll change my mind when these men, who I am paying for are proved not to be rapists or any other criminal. When they stop looking at women like theyre a piece of meat because I see this happen daily. This country is a fucking mess.

So why do they get money? £8 per week or £40 odd per week? What is that for?

This.
the inflation figures today speak for themselves.

I lived in, worked in, and paid tax in a different EU country for 7 years. After paying tax for 2 years I would have been entitled to benefits, and also accrued Social Security contributions towards a pension. My kids went to state school. I used the (excellent) health service.
The reporting needs more nuance. Are these foreigners legal immigrants who have paid into the system? Or illegal? Or asylum seekers? Are the benefits in work or out of work benefits. It's just lazy reporting. If you're in a country legally, and have contributibuted, access to state benefits should apply equally. In Spain, you can only claim for a short period while looking for work. It's hard to be deemed unfit for work. That doesn't mean that I'm pro or anti immigration per se by the way. It's a benefits issue.

Having lived abroad and see how other health services are organised, I no longer agree that the NHS should be free at point of use. Across Europe you need a social security card to show that you're in the tax system (which includes people on benefit), or you pay a bill.

I agree. I'm all for immigrants integrated and contributing positively to the country.

Western values would include providing humanitarian aid and complying with obligations under international law. Yet these 'defenders of the realm' don't believe in human rights or even the justice system. They don't support Western values.

That is a good question. I do not have the fulldata on how many they come and how many we could care for and integrate, per year, let's say. But, I would be happy to take as many as we can afford without taking from the wellfare of our own disabled, for example. With funds to help them to learn the language and integrate.

https://www.gov.uk/asylum-support/what-youll-get

Because it's being taken the piss out of massively. Have you seen the Albanian gangs in some UK towns and cities? They're not here because of threat in their own country. How about the Roma who get over and scam our own countrymen? Ever seen them on London Bridge scamming the tourists? We let anyone in and that's the issue.

They're asylum seekers.

It's not illegal to enter the UK and claim asylum.

We do pay their food and accommodation as soon as they present to whoever.

They don't have passports and lie about their age and nationality. Those who do that are illegals.

Nobody is illegal until their claim has been processed. You’ve been told this literally dozens of times and still you persist.

@TreatTreat

Just for comparison…

You can see what asylum seekers are entitled to here:
https://www.gov.uk/asylum-support/what-youll-get

It's gone up from 8 something to £9.95, which goes towards essentials such as toiletries.

So why are you still droning on at me if I persist? Leave me be with my beliefs and I'll leave you be with yours.

You can find the latest data here

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-system-statistics-year-ending-march-2025

It’s not a belief, it’s a fact.

Oh shut up now. You're boring.

Semantics. They are not claiming benefits as such, instead they are given asylum support, consisting of free hotel accommodation/private rental, free meals or money for food, access to free healthcare, dentistry, prescriptions and certain other things like educational courses, legal access etc, things that are not available or not free to British citizens. All these things would cost any other individual thousands of pounds a year, far more than the monetary equivalent poor pensioners are entitled to.

I wonder what the other essentials are? They also get free travel passes for public transport.

Good to see high quality nuanced debate upheld.