Fury as number of NHS 'free passes' given to asylum seekers in 5 years revealed

Over half of NHS "free" healthcare passes issued to those on low incomes in the last five years have gone to asylum seekers. HC2 certificates grant free NHS prescriptions, dental treatment, eye tests and wigs as well as help to cover the cost of glasses or contact lenses. They also cover the cost of travelling for appointments.

New figures released by the NHS Business Services Authority under freedom of information laws show 59% of the 1.56 million HC2 certificates issued in the UK over the last five years were awarded to asylum seekers. This equates to 920,199 certificates.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp told the Telegraph: "Those crossing the Channel invariably claim asylum and then receive housing, bills paid, free money and full healthcare - despite never having paid a penny in tax and having entered the country illegally. No wonder illegal immigrants from across Europe are flocking to the UK."

The MP for Croydon South also branded the figures "another illustration of the costs of illegal immigration".

An NHS spokesman said: "The NHS is legally required to provide healthcare services to asylum seekers, including access to help with health costs through the NHS Low Income Scheme."

The NHS Low Income Scheme allows anyone to apply for a HC2 certificate whether they are an immigrant or not. They have to show they have no or a low income.

Asylum seekers are given a HC2 certificate if they are eligible for Section 95 support under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. This entitles them to claim financial and housing help.

A Government spokesperson said: "These certificates do not give access to NHS services ahead of people who don't have one. The highest number of certificates issued in the last five years were under the previous administration."

The spokesperson added: "We are fixing the chaotic asylum system we inherited and have returned over 35,000 people, including failed asylum seekers, immigrants and foreign national offenders to ultimately relieve pressures on nationwide services."

Former Health Secretary Steve Barclay said it was completely wrong for asylum seekers to receive beneficial access to health treatment compared to the taxpayers who fund it.

A source at the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) said the most HC2 certificates were issued to asylum seekers in 2023 and the FOI data shows certificate numbers, not the number of people who received them.

Figures for HC2 certificates come after it emerged the number of migrants arriving in the UK after crossing the English Channel topped 25,000 in record time.

Hundreds of foreign nationals have made the journey in recent days as ministers continue to grapple with the challenge of cracking down on people-smuggling gangs.

Some 898 migrants crossed the Channel in 13 boats on Wednesday alone, bringing the total in 2025 so far to 25,436, according to Home Office figures.

This is up 51% on this point last year (16,842) and 73% higher than at this stage in 2023 (14,732), according to analysis by the PA news agency.

It is the earliest point in a calendar year at which the 25,000 mark has been passed since data on Channel crossings was first reported in 2018.