In the last five years, more than half of the NHS’s “free” healthcare passes for low-income people have gone to asylum seekers.
These passes, known as HC2 certificates, give people free NHS prescriptions, dental care, eye tests, wigs, and help with the cost of glasses or contact lenses. They also cover travel expenses for medical appointments.
Official figures from the NHS Business Services Authority, obtained through freedom of information requests, show that 59% of the 1.56 million HC2 certificates given out in the UK during this period went to asylum seekers. That’s around 920,199 certificates.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp criticised the situation, saying that people who cross the Channel often claim asylum and then receive housing, bills covered, free money, and full healthcare, even though they have never paid UK taxes and entered the country illegally. He called this “another example of the cost of illegal immigration.”
The NHS explained that they are legally required to give asylum seekers access to healthcare and financial help through the Low Income Scheme, just like anyone else who qualifies. The scheme is open to anyone, whether they are British citizens or immigrants, as long as they can show they have little or no income.
Asylum seekers can get a HC2 certificate if they qualify for Section 95 support under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, which also gives them access to housing and financial assistance.
A government spokesperson said the certificates do not put people ahead of others for NHS services. They also said that the highest number of HC2 certificates in the past five years were given out under the previous government. They added that they are working to fix the asylum system and have already removed more than 35,000 people, including failed asylum seekers and foreign offenders, to reduce pressure on public services.
Former Health Secretary Steve Barclay argued that it is unfair for asylum seekers to have what he sees as an advantage in accessing healthcare compared to taxpayers who fund it. A source from the Department for Health and Social Care pointed out that the FOI figures count the number of certificates issued, not the exact number of people who received them.
These statistics come as Channel crossings hit record levels. So far in 2025, 25,436 migrants have reached the UK by boat the highest number ever recorded at this point in the year. Just on Wednesday, 898 migrants crossed in 13 boats. This year’s total is already 51% higher than the same time in 2024 and 73% higher than in 2023.
The UK government continues to struggle with the challenge of stopping people-smuggling gangs, but the figures show the numbers arriving are still rising rapidly.
