Record number of arrests and raids of illegal workers across the UK
Illegal working arrests and raids have reached the highest level in UK history thanks to ‘relentless activity’ by the Home Office’s Immigration Enforcement teams.
Latest figures reveal the number of raids have soared by 77% in the UK since the government came into power, leading to an 83% rise in arrests (July 2024 to end of December 2025).
There were 695 raids across Scotland leading to around 400 arrests.
Over 17,400 raids were made to dodgy businesses – such as nail bars, car washes, barbers and takeaway shops – targeting those attempting to undercut honest workers and hide in plain sight.
The major uplift, which led to more than 12,300 arrests, was made possible by a £5m funding boost last year for Immigration Enforcement, to target and pursue illegal working criminality.
In Northern Ireland, 187 raids were carried out in 2025, leading to 234 arrests – a 76% and 169% rise respectively compared to 2024.
The crackdown on illegal working builds on this Labour government’s work to restore order to the immigration system and end the lure of illegal working that gangs use to sell spaces on small boats.
The activity sits on top of the government’s wider work to remove and deport 50,000 illegal migrants from the UK – a 23% increase under this government.
Today’s figures come after the Home Secretary set out sweeping reforms to the immigration system – making it less attractive for illegal migrants to come to the UK and easier to deport and remove those with no right to be here.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: ”There is no place for illegal working in our communities.
“That is why we have surged enforcement activity to the highest level in British history so illegal migrants in the black economy have nowhere to hide.
“I will stop at nothing to restore order and control to our borders.”
Northern Ireland Secretary, Hilary Benn, said: “Illegal working undercuts honest businesses across Northern Ireland and fuels the criminal gangs who profit from human exploitation.
“This Government has increased enforcement to record levels, and the message is clear: there is no place for those flouting the law.”
The new figures come as Immigration Enforcement officers across the UK are now equipped with body worn video technology.
Following the start of the launch in September last year, all teams are now benefitting from this capability which will help bolster arrests and prosecutions further.
Immigration Compliance and Enforcement Lead for Northern Ireland, Paul McHarron, said: “Illegal working is against the law and will not be tolerated.
“My teams will continue working around the clock to ensure those involved face the full force of the law.”
During illegal working raids last year, officers visited a range of sectors including restaurants, construction sites and nail bars:
An immigration enforcement visit was conducted at VN Nail & Spa Salon in Belfast City Centre on 1 May. Three workers of Vietnamese nationality were arrested for illegal working. As a result, one individual was detained for removal.
On 28 June, officers visited Europa Car Wash in Bangor. Four individuals of Romanian, Ethiopian and Jordanian nationality, were arrested for illegal working, with two detained for removal from the UK as a result.
On 25 October, officers visited Beijing House in Londonderry. Three illegal workers of Chinese nationality were arrested. A Civil Penalty Referral Notice was served on the business owner. Further inquiries to establish any liability and the liable employer will now take place. The liable employer could face a substantial fine if it’s found they employed illegal workers and failed to conduct relevant pre-employment checks.
And through the new Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act, the government is expanding right to work checks, so they cover the gig, casual, subcontracted and temporary worker economy, ensuring there is no hiding place for illegal workers to flout the rules.
On top of this, the Organised Immigration Crime Domestic Taskforce is bringing together law enforcement and government partners, including the National Crime Agency, National Police Chiefs Council, Border Security Command and Immigration Enforcement, to use every available tool to identify, disrupt and dismantle criminal smuggling gangs operating in the UK.
Over the last 12 months, there has been a 33% surge in disruptions related to migrant smuggling – with nearly 4,000 disruptions since July 2024 – and a landmark deal with France means those who arrive on small boats are now being sent back.
To further ensure people can only work in the UK if they have permission, the government announced last year it will be introducing digital ID, which will be mandatory to prove someone’s right to work by the end of Parliament.
This will create a simpler, more consistent way for employers to check someone’s eligibility to work. The move will make it harder for illegal migrants to find work and allow the government to identify rogue business owners who are failing to conduct checks.
This work combined forms part of the government’s ‘laser focus’ to secure the UK’s borders and end the false promise of work used to sell spaces on dangerous small boats.
New report warns that progress risks stalling unless proven models are rapidly expanded
SCOTLAND has made significant and internationally notable progress in reducing destitution among people who are blocked from accessing mainstream support because of their immigration status, a major new evaluation has found.
But the study warns that provision remains too limited to meet the scale of need.
The independent report examines the impact of Fair Way Scotland, an action-learning partnership providing integrated support for people with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) or restricted or uncertain eligibility.
The model brings together specialist casework, modest financial assistance and access to community-based accommodation, helping people to meet basic needs and stabilise their circumstances. Funders, Scottish Government and charities are coming together today for a launch event to hear findings from the report and explore solutions that will reduce destitution.
The report found clear improvements in people’s safety and wellbeing when they receive consistent casework, access to community-based accommodation and modest financial support through Fair Way Scotland.
The report, authored by Heriot-Watt University and funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), outlines how these types of support can reduce harm inflicted on people and build a foundation for longer term progress.
Professor Beth Watts-Cobbe, Deputy Director, at the Institute for Social Policy, Housing, Equalities Research (I-SPHERE), Heriot-Watt University, said: “This evaluation demonstrates that Scotland has taken significant and internationally notable steps to prevent destitution. But the scale of current provision does not yet match the scale of need.
“We found strong evidence that consistent casework, safe accommodation and small but reliable cash payments reduce harm and support people to progress their immigration cases. The question now is whether Scotland is prepared to expand what clearly works so that no one faces destitution.”
The report highlights the exceptional disadvantage facing people supported through Fair Way Scotland:
93% of those surveyed were destitute
Almost one in five were sleeping rough at the point of contact
More than half had slept rough in the past year
17% had left accommodation because they did not feel safe
Importantly, outcomes improved the longer people engaged with support. Those receiving help for more than three months were significantly less likely to be sleeping rough, living in overcrowded conditions, moving repeatedly, or going without essentials like food and toiletries.
Demand, however, far exceeds what current resources can meet. The evaluation estimates that around 4,000 people across Scotland require this type of support each year, with the country making great progress by meeting around a quarter of that demand thus far.
Chris Birt, Associate Director for Scotland at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said: “This evaluation shows in stark terms both the effectiveness of Fair Way Scotland and the scale of unmet need. The model works – but demand is far beyond what the current system can cope with. Scaling Fair Way Scotland is now urgent, not optional.
“We need coordinated action from all tiers of government. The UK Government, Scottish Government and local councils need to better use the powers they have, underpinned by a clear commitment from housing associations to provide the safe, stable accommodation that is essential to reducing harm. And ultimately the UK Government need to stop using policy to create destitution.
“If we are serious about preventing destitution, every part of the system must step up together.”
Frontline accounts within the report underline the difference stability can make. Workers describe how access to casework, legal advice and community-based accommodation enables people to progress their status and access support to which they are entitled.
The evaluation also reflects the voices of people directly supported by Fair Way Scotland. Many described how cash payments – usually of £60 a week – allowed them to buy food and travel, restoring dignity and reducing crisis.
The evaluation recognises that Scotland is the only part of the UK with a national strategy that explicitly commits to ending destitution for all, including those with No Recourse to Public Funds or restricted eligibility. Yet, progress remains slow, with local authorities and third sector organisations under increasing pressure.
Human rights lawyer, Jen Ang of Lawmanity, said: “Scotland already has more scope to act than many decision-makers realise. The evaluation shows that when existing powers are used confidently and consistently, people can be protected from the deepest harms associated with destitution.
“What stands out in this report is the strength of the evidence for scaling Fair Way Scotland. It offers a lawful, practical and humane approach that reflects Scotland’s commitments to dignity and fairness. The task now is ensuring that these findings translate into action so that support is available to everyone who needs it.”
Key recommendations within the report include:
Expanding community‑based accommodation
Widening access to specialist legal advice
Establishing a hardship fund for those excluded from mainstream support
Ensuring councils consistently use the powers available to them.
Beth added: “Scotland has the tools, evidence and experience to end destitution for those currently excluded from mainstream support. What is needed now is the resolve to act at scale. Doing so would prevent severe hardship, reduce avoidable harm and uphold Scotland’s commitments to fairness and dignity.”
Fair Way Scotland is a partnership of third sector organisations seeking to prevent homelessness and destitution among those with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) in Scotland.
Key Fair Way Scotland delivery partners include theScottish Refugee Council, Simon Community Scotland, Turning Point Scotland and Refugee Sanctuary Scotland– supported by Homeless Network Scotland and learning partners Heriot-Watt University and Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
Specialist legal expertise is commissioned from a coalition of legal firms: Just Right Scotland, Latta & Co, Legal Services Agency, Settled and Shelter Scotland. COSLA and the Scottish Government are strategic partners, committed to working with Fair Way as part of their commitment to Ending Destitution Together and Ending Homelessness Together.
Migrants will be required to pass tough new English language requirements under a law introduced at Westminster Parliament yesterday
Migrants will be required to pass tough new English language requirements under a law introduced in Parliament yesterday (14 October), as the UK government continues to replace Britain’s failed immigration system with one that is controlled, selective and fair.
Immigrants applying through certain legal routes must meet an A level equivalent standard in speaking, listening, reading and writing.
The Secure English Language Test must be conducted with a Home Office-approved provider, and the results will then be verified as part of the visa application process.
Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said: This country has always welcomed those who come to this country and contribute.
“But it is unacceptable for migrants to come here without learning our language, unable to contribute to our national life.
“If you come to this country, you must learn our language and play your part.”
Laid in changes before Parliament this week, the measures form part of the government’s flagship immigration white paper and Plan for Change to deliver on the priorities of working people for tighter control of who comes to this country while continuing to attract top global talent.
The time for international students to find a graduate-level job after completing their studies will also be cut to 18 months from the current two years.
The immigration skills charge (ISC), which is paid by employers sponsoring skilled foreign workers and reinvested in training the domestic workforce, is being raised by 32%.
The ISC increase is the first since 2017 and will be used to boost investment in British workers and reduce reliance on overseas recruitment. The Parliamentary process to increase the charge will begin later this week.
To ensure graduates contribute effectively to the economy, the maximum post-study stay will be reduced to 18 months from the current 2 years for most from 1 January 2027. It comes after data clearly showed that many holders had not transitioned into graduate-level employment as intended.
Finance requirements for student visas will also be increased for the 2025 to 2026 academic year, meaning foreign students will have to demonstrate they have sufficient funds to support themselves.
A series of changes to position the UK as a global leader in attracting highly skilled talent, outlined in the immigration white paper, and aligned with the UK’s industrial strategy, are also being made.
Changes include:
Expansion of the High Potential Individual (HPI) route to graduates from the top 100 international universities, with a cap of 8,000 applications per year. The number of people coming to the UK through the HPI route is expected to double from 2,000 to 4,000, giving graduates from the world’s best universities the chance to base their careers in the UK.
The world’s most talented entrepreneurs studying in the UK will also be able to seamlessly establish innovative business ventures in the UK after concluding their studies, while transitioning from a student visa to the Innovator Founder route.
Enhancements to the Global Talent route, including an expanded list of prestigious prizes and changes to expand some of the evidential requirements of achievement and contribution for architects.
The UK government aims to double the number of highly skilled people coming to the UK on our high skilled routes, including the best researchers, designers, and creatives working in film and TV to ensure continued competitiveness in growth sectors. Further changes, including to the Global Talent route, will be made in 2026.
The immigration white paper forms part of the Plan for Change to reform our immigration system, with further measures on asylum and border security to be announced later this autumn.
In further changes, effective from 3pm today, all nationals of Botswana will now be required to obtain a visa before travelling to the UK, including for short visits.
This decision comes in response to a high number of Botswana nationals arriving since 2022 as visitors and subsequently claiming asylum, which is a misuse of the UK’s immigration system.
HOME SECRETARY UPDATES WESTMINSTER FOLLOWING SUMMER RECESS
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper made a statement in parliament yesterday on actions the government is taking with France to strengthen border security and reforms to the asylum system:
Mr Speaker, with your permission, I will update the House on the actions we are taking with France to strengthen our border security and the next steps on our reforms to the asylum system.
Now to be aware when we came into the government, we found an asylum and immigration system in chaos.
Small boat gangs for 7 years had been allowed to embed their criminal trade along the French coast. The asylum backlog was soaring. Illegal working was being ignored.
It is little wonder that people right across the country lost confidence in the system and demanded to know why they were paying the price of a system that was so out of control.
But that does not mean people rejected the long and proud history of Britain doing our bit to help those fleeing persecution or conflict – including in the past decade families from Ukraine, Syria and Hong Kong.
It is the British way, to do our bit alongside other countries to help those who need sanctuary.
But the system has to be controlled and managed, based on fair and properly enforced rules, not chaos and exploitation driven by criminal smuggler gangs.
It is exactly because of that important tradition, that substantial reforms are needed now.
In our first year, we have taken immediate action, laying the foundations for more fundamental reform.
We have restored asylum decision making and then rapidly increased the rate of decisions.
Instead, we removed 35,000 people with no right to be here, including a 28% increase in returns of failed asylum seekers and a 14% increase in removals of foreign criminals.
We have increased raids and arrests on illegal working by 50%, and we cut the annual hotel bill by almost a billion pounds in the last financial year. We are rolling out digital ID and biometric kits so immigration enforcement can check on the spot whether someone has a right to work or a right to be in the UK.
And on Channel crossings and organised immigration crime we are putting in place new powers, new structures and new international agreements to help dismantle the criminal industry behind small boats.
I want to update the House on the further steps we are now taking.
In August I signed the new treaty with France allowing us for the first time to directly return those who arrive on small boats.
The first detentions took place the next day – of people immediately on arrival at Dover.
We expect the first returns to begin later this month.
Applications have also been opened for the reciprocal legal route, with the first cases under consideration, subject to the strict security checks.
We have made clear this is a pilot scheme – the more that we prove the concept at the outset, the better we will be able to develop and grow it.
But the principles it embodies are crucial.
Because no one should be making these dangerous or illegal journeys on small boats.
And if they do, we want to see them swiftly returned.
But in return, we believe in doing our bit alongside other countries to help those who have fled persecution through managed and controlled legal programmes.
This summer we have also taken further action to strengthen enforcement against the smuggling gangs.
France has reviewed its maritime approach to allow for the interception of taxi boats in French waters, and we will continue to work with them to implement this change as soon as possible.
In the last year, the NCA has led 347 disruptions of immigration crime networks – their highest level on record and a 40% increase in a year.
Over the summer, we announced a £100 million uplift in funding for border security and up to 300 more personnel in the NCA focussing on targeting gangs.
The Border Security Bill will give them stronger powers. Counter terrorism powers against smuggler gangs and powers to seize and download mobile phones of small boat arrivals.
And the power to ban sex offenders from the asylum system altogether.
Those powers could be in place within months, making our country safer and more secure. (Political content redacted)
Let me turn now to the major reforms that are needed to fix the broken asylum system we inherited.
Although we have increased decision making and increased returns the overall system remains outdated, sclerotic and unfair.
So, as we set out in the Immigration White Paper, we will shortly set out radical reforms to modernise the asylum system and boost our border security.
Tackling the pull factors. Strengthening enforcement. Making sure people are treated fairly. Reforming the way that the ECHR is interpreted here at home. Speeding up the system, cutting numbers and ending the use of hotels. And developing controlled and managed routes for genuine refugees.
At the heart of these reforms will be a complete overhaul of the appeals system.
The biggest obstacle to reducing the size of the asylum system and ending hotel use.
Tens of thousands of people in asylum accommodation are currently waiting for appeals and under the current system that figure is set to grow, with an average wait time of 54 weeks.
We have already funded thousands of additional sitting days this year.
And the Border Security Bill will introduce a statutory timeframe of 24 weeks.
But we need to go further. So, we will introduce a new independent body to deal with immigration and asylum appeals fully independent of government, staffed by professionally trained adjudicators, with safeguards to ensure high standards but able to surge capacity as needed and accelerate and prioritise cases, alongside new procedures to tackle repeat applications and unnecessary delays.
We are also increasing detention and returns capacity – including a 1,000-bed expansion at Campsfield and Haslar, with the first tranche of additional beds coming online within months to support many thousands more enforced removals each year.
Our reforms will also address the overly complex system for family migration, including changes to the way Article 8 of the ECHR is interpreted.
We should be clear that international law is important – it is because other countries know we abide by it that we have been able to do new agreements with France to return people who arrive on small boats, to make new agreements with Germany to stop the warehousing of small boats by criminal gangs and to explore return hubs partnerships with other European countries.
But we also need the interpretation of international law to keep up with the realities and challenges of today’s world.
But there is one area where we also need to make more immediate changes.
The current rules for family reunion for refugees were designed many years ago to help families separated by war, conflict and persecution.
But the way they are being used now has changed.
Even just before the pandemic, refugees who applied to bring family to the UK did so on average more than 1 or 2 years after they were granted protection.
Long enough for them to get jobs, find housing and be able to provide their family with some support.
In Denmark and Switzerland, currently those granted humanitarian protection are not able to apply to bring family for at least 2 years after protection has been granted.
Here in the UK now however those applications now come in on average within 1 month, even before a newly granted refugee has left asylum accommodation. As a consequence, refugee families who arrive are far more likely to seek homelessness assistance.
Some councils are finding that more than a quarter of their family homelessness applications are linked to refugee family reunion. That is not sustainable.
Currently there are also no conditions on family reunion for refugee sponsors unlike those in place if the sponsor is a British citizen or a long-term UK resident. That is not fair.
Finally, the proportion of migrants who have arrived on small boats and who then apply to bring family has also increased sharply in recent years.
With signs that smuggler gangs are now able to use the promise of family reunion to promote dangerous boat journeys to the UK.
Mr Speaker, we continue to believe that families staying together is important. It is why we will seek to prioritise family groups among the applicants to come to Britain under our new deal with France.
But reforms are needed. In our asylum policy statement later this year, we will set out a new system for family migration.
Including contribution requirements, longer periods before newly granted refugees can apply, and dedicated control arrangements for unaccompanied children, and for those fleeing persecution who have family in the UK. We aim to have some of those changes in place for the spring.
In the meantime, we need do to address the immediate pressures on local authorities.
And the risks from criminal gangs using family reunion as a pull factor to encourage more people onto boats.
Therefore, we are bringing forward new Immigration Rules this week to temporarily suspend new applications under the existing dedicated Refugee Family Reunion route. Until the new framework is introduced, refugees will be covered by the same Family Migration rules and conditions as everyone else.
Mr Speaker, let me turn next to the action we are taking to ensure that every asylum hotel will be closed for good under this government.
Not just by shifting individuals from hotels to other sites, but by driving down the numbers in supported accommodation overall.
Not in a chaotic way, through piecemeal court judgements, but through a controlled, managed and orderly programme, driving down inflow into the asylum system, clearing the appeals backlog which is crucial, and continuing to increase returns.
Within the asylum estate, we are reconfiguring sites, increasing room-sharing, tightening the test for accommodation and working at pace to identify alternative cheaper and more appropriate accommodation with other government departments and with local authorities.
And we are increasing standards and security and joint public safety cooperation between the police, accommodation providers and the Home Office to ensure that laws and rules are enforced.
Mr Speaker, I understand and agree with local councils and communities who want the asylum hotels in their communities closed.
Because we need to close all asylum hotels, and we need to do so for good.
But that must be done in a controlled and orderly manner, (…) that led to the opening of hotels in the first place.
Finally, Mr Speaker, let me update the House on the continued legal and controlled support we will provide for those facing conflict and persecution.
We will continue to do our bit to support Ukraine – extending the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme by a further 24 months, with further details to be set out in due course.
We are also taking immediate action to rescue children who have been seriously injured in the horrendous onslaught on civilians in Gaza so they can get the urgent health treatment they need.
The Foreign Secretary will update the House shortly on the progress to get those children out.
I can confirm the Home Office has put in place systems to issue expedited visas, with biometric checks conducted prior to arrival for children and their immediate accompanying family members.
We have done the same for all the Chevening scholars and are in the process of doing so now for the next group of students who have been awarded fully funded scholarships and places at UK universities so they can start their studies in Autumn this year.
Later this year, we will set out our plans to establish a permanent framework for refugee students to come study in the UK so that we can help talented young people fleeing war and persecution to find a better future. Alongside capped and managed ways for refugees to work here in the UK.
Mr Speaker, this is a government determined to fix every aspect of the broken system we inherited and restore the confidence of the British people.
What we will never do is seek to stir up chaos, division or hate.
That is not who we are as a country. That is not what Britain stands for.
A practical plan to strengthen our border security, to fix the asylum chaos and to rebuild confidence in an asylum and immigration system that serves our national interest, protects our national security, and reflects our national values.
Because, when we wave the Union Flag, when we wave the St George’s Flag, when we sing God Save The King, and celebrate everything that is great about Britain and about our country.
We do so with pride because of the values that our flags, our King, and our country represent.
Togetherness, Fairness and Decency.
Respect for each other, and respect for the Rule of Law.
That is what our country stands for.
That is the British way to fix the problems we face.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer appoints Chief Secretary and Chief Economic Advisor
Today the Prime Minister is ‘bolstering the Downing Street operation’ as the government attempts to deliver on the country’s priorities: growth people feel in their pockets, secure borders and getting the NHS back on its feet.
The return of parliament marks a new term and a ‘ramping up’ of the next phase of the Labour government’s domestic agenda – ‘relentless delivery on our Plan for Change’.
The Prime Minister has today appointed Rt Hon Darren Jones MP as the Chief Secretary (Minister of State) to the Prime Minister and No10 Downing Street.
The Chief Secretary role is a new appointment which will work collaboratively across UK Government to drive forward progress in key policy areas, reporting directly to the Prime Minister.
The Ministerial role, based within No10 Downing Street, will directly oversee work across Government to support the delivery of the Prime Minister’s priorities and the Government’s Plan for Change.
The Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister (Minister of State) will attend Cabinet.
In addition, the Prime Minister has directly appointed Baroness Shafik as his Chief Economic Advisor to support the Prime Minister on economic affairs.
This role and the additional expertise will support the Government to go further and faster in driving economic growth and raising living standards for all.
Baroness (Minouche) Shafik is a world leading economist, whose career has straddled public policy and academia.
She served as the Permanent Secretary of the UK’s Department for International Development, Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund and Deputy Governor of the Bank of England, where she sat on the monetary, financial and prudential policy committees.
She was also President and Vice Chancellor of the London School of Economics and Columbia University and taught at the Wharton Business School and Georgetown University.
She was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list in 2015 and became a crossbench peer in the House of Lords in 2020.
‘Ramp-up’ of arrests and visits set to take place across the UK targeting migrants working illegally
Enforcement teams are gearing up to launch a nationwide blitz targeting illegal working hotspots, with a focus on the gig economy and migrants working as delivery riders.
Under the Government’s Plan for Change to restore order to the immigration system and tougher enforcement of the rules, Home Office Immigration Enforcement teams will launch a major operation to disrupt this type of criminality.
Strategic, intel-driven activity will bring together officers across the UK and place an increased focus on migrants suspected of working illegally whilst in taxpayer funded accommodation or receiving financial support.
The law is clear that asylum seekers are only entitled to this support if they would otherwise be destitute. That is why anyone caught flagrantly abusing the system in this way, as a result of the operation, will face having support discontinued, whether that’s entitlement to accommodation or payments.
Operational teams will target certain hotspots across the country over a period of intensification, as well as going after organisations who wilfully employ those working illegally, through civil penalty referrals. Any business found to be illegally employing someone could face a fine of up to £60,000 per worker, director disqualifications and potential prison sentences of up to five years.
The Government has been surging action against illegal working since coming into power one year ago, with 10,031 illegal working visits leading to 7,130 arrests, marking a 48% and 51% rise respectively, compared to the year before (5 July 2023 to 28 June 2024). This marks the first time in a 12-month period where more than 10,000 visits have taken place.
748 illegal working civil penalty notices were also handed to businesses caught violating immigration rules in the first quarter (January to March) of the year, marking the highest level since 2016 – an 81% increase compared to the same time last year.
And the Government is tightening the law by making it a legal requirement for all companies, including the gig economy, to check anyone working for them has the legal right to do so. This will end the abuse of flexible working arrangements. The new measures will be introduced through the landmark Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, said: “Illegal working undermines honest business and undercuts local wages – the British public will not stand for it and neither will this government.
“Often those travelling to the UK illegally are sold a lie by the people smuggling gangs that they will be able to live and work freely in this country, when in reality they end up facing squalid living conditions, minimal pay and inhumane working hours.
“We are surging enforcement action against this pull factor, on top of returning 30,000 people with no right to be here and tightening the law through our Plan for Change.
“But there is no single solution to the problem of illegal migration. That’s why we’ve signed landmark agreements with international partners to dismantle gangs and made significant arrests of notorious people smugglers.”
Director of Enforcement, Compliance and Crime, Eddy Montgomery, said: “Our dedicated Immigration Enforcement officers have been ramping up action to disable illegal working across the board.
“This next step of co-ordinated activity will target those who seek to work illegally in the gig economy and exploit their status in the UK.
“That means if you are found to be working with no legal right to do so, we will bring the full force of powers available to us to disrupt and stop this abuse. There will no place to hide.”
This targeted action is on top of ongoing work across the country to disrupt people flouting the rules across different sectors.
Earlier this week, during a joint operation with the Metropolitan Police to go after people suspected of working illegally as cash in hand builders, officers targeted anti-social behaviour and illegally modified scooters and e-bikes.
20 Indian nationals were arrested as part of the operation. This included 16 overstayers, one illegal entrant, one port absconder and two small boat arrivals.
On 18 June, West Midlands teams conducted an operation on Smethwick High Street after receiving intelligence on a major collection point for people suspected of going to work illegally, primarily on construction sites.
The team encountered 73 individuals, arresting 26 suspected immigration offenders (24 Indian nationals, one Nepalese national and one Italian national). This led to the detention of 11 Indian nationals.
And on 12 June, East of England teams conducted a multi-agency operation with police in Lynn Road, Wisbech, focusing on cash in hand builders using illegally modified e-bikes. They carried out 21 immigration checks which resulted the arrest of three men, including one Syrian, one Chinese and one Brazilian national.
The police went on to seize six mopeds and one car for offences including driving with no insurance, no driving licence and disqualification.
The crackdown also sits alongside key join up with the delivery industry on tackling illicit account sharing. On Monday, 30 June , the Home Office and Department for Business and Trade met with major delivery firms and pledged to strengthen security checks to tackle illegal working.
Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat have committed to increasing the number of daily facial recognition checks riders are required to take to verify their identity.
Illegal working is linked to exploitation, with teams often encountering squalid living conditions, people receiving little to no pay and inhumane working hours. In the worst instances, these individuals may be victims of modern slavery.
Immigration Enforcement take a number of steps to spot the signs of individuals who are potentially being exploited and, where appropriate, will refer people to the National Referral Mechanism so they can access support. They also work closely with crucial partners like the Gangmasters Labour Abuse Authority, to share insights and strengthen the approach to tackling labour exploitation.
And this new operation is just one part of the government’s action to strengthen UK border security and disable the people smuggling gangs fuelling illegal migration.
Over the past year, the government says the Prime Minister has been resetting relationships and forging partnerships across Europe and beyond, to ensure a targeted international response in breaking the model behind this vile trade.
Furthermore, nearly 30,000 people with no right to be in UK have been returned, landmark agreements have been signed with Iraq to dismantle gangs and Italy to take down illicit finance networks and a world-first people smuggling sanctions regime has been launched to ban travel and freeze assets.
Work to restore control of Britain’s borders has seen the first of sweeping reforms to the immigration system introduced by the Home Secretary today
New rules to be laid in Parliament see skills and salary thresholds rise, overseas recruitment for care workers end and more than 100 occupations no longer granted access to the immigration system.
These changes, the first to be rolled out from the Immigration White Paper, represent a fundamental shift in the UK’s approach to immigration and restore order to the points-based system, focusing on higher skills, lower numbers and tighter controls. They are an important step in ending the UK’s reliance on overseas, lower skilled recruitment.
The introduction of an interim, time-limited and conditional temporary shortage list will make sure the immigration system works better for the UK, with international recruitment only providing support where occupations are key to the industrial strategy or building crucial infrastructure.
Each sector must have a workforce strategy in place to train UK workers, or it will lose access to the immigration system.
We are making radical reforms to Britain's immigration system.
In recent years, lower skilled migration has soared while the proportion of UK residents in work has plummeted.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “We are delivering a complete reset of our immigration system to restore proper control and order, after the previous government allowed net migration to quadruple in four years.
“These new rules mean stronger controls to bring migration down, to restore order to the immigration system and to ensure we focus on investing in skills and training here in the UK.
“As part of the Plan for Change, we can build an immigration system that serves the needs of the British economy and people – one that values skills, tackles exploitation, and ensures those who come to the UK make a genuine contribution.”
The package of measures includes:
raising the skills threshold for Skilled Worker visas, removing 111 eligible occupations
closing the social care worker visa route to overseas recruitment in response to widespread abuse and exploitation
only allowing time-limited access below degree level through a targeted immigration salary list and temporary shortage list, for critical roles only, with strict requirements for sectors to grow domestic skills
commissioning the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to conduct a review of the temporary shortage list including occupations, salaries and benefits
Workers in occupations on the temporary shortage list will no longer be able to bring dependants and will not be permitted salary and visa fee discounts. The occupations included on the List are time-limited until the end of 2026 and will only remain beyond that date if the independent Migration Advisory Committee recommend it.
In the interim, the government will not hesitate to restrict immigration access further, should there be clear signs of abuse and exploitation in sectors. In time, we will also abolish the previous government’s immigration salary list.
Subject to parliamentary approval, the changes will come into effect from 22 July, and transitional arrangements have also today been set out for overseas care workers already in the UK.
Next steps
Further changes to be implemented by the end of this year also include:
raising the immigration skills charge
uplifting language requirements across the immigration system
unveiling a new family policy framework to Parliament
The Immigration White Paper forms part of a broader programme of immigration and border security reforms, with further measures on asylum and border security to be announced later this year.
Over 6,000 arrests and 9,000 visits carried out across the UK since general election in Labour’s crackdown on illegal working
A major surge in immigration enforcement activity across the UK has led to a 51% rise in the number of arrests since Labour’s general election victory, as part of a Home Office drive to disable the illegal working trade in the UK.
Immigration Enforcement teams have intensified activity in towns, cities and villages to tackle those abusing the UK immigration system and exploiting vulnerable people. It forms part of the government’s efforts to crack down on organised immigration crime at every level under the Plan for Change and end the false promise of jobs used to sell spaces on small boats.
Particular focus has been on tackling employers facilitating illegal working, often subjecting migrants to squalid conditions and illegal working hours below minimum wage. Restaurants, nail bars and construction sites have been among the thousands of businesses targeted.
The new measures come alongside a ramp-up of operational activity to restore control of the immigration system, including the return of nearly 30,000 people with no right to be in the UK.
Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Dame Angela Eagle, said: “For too long, employers have been able to take on and exploit migrants, with people allowed to arrive and work here illegally.
“This will no longer be tolerated on our watch. That’s why we are ramping up our enforcement activity and introducing tougher laws to finally get a grip of our immigration and asylum system.
“Under our Plan for Change, we will continue to root out unscrupulous employers and disrupt illegal workers who undermine our border security.”
It is a legal requirement for employers to carry out Right to Work checks and those who fail to do so face hefty penalties including fines of up to £60,000 per worker, director disqualifications and potential prison sentences of up to five years.
Director of Enforcement, Compliance and Crime at Immigration Enforcement Eddy Montgomery said: “Our work to tackle illegal working is vital in not only bringing the guilty to account, but also in protecting vulnerable people from exploitation.
“I’m incredibly proud of our enforcement teams across the country for their hard work, skill and co-operation on these often challenging but highly important operations.”
During one major co-ordinated operation in March, officers made 36 arrests at a construction site in Belfast’s historic Titanic Quarter. Offences ranged from breaching visa conditions to illegal entry in the UK with no permission to work.
Elsewhere, 9 arrests were made at a caravan park in Surrey last month following intelligence individuals were working illegally as delivery drivers in the gig economy.
Meanwhile, 9 people were also arrested in Bradford in March as officers intercepted a popular illegal working pick up point in Naples Street.
Ramping up illegal working enforcement activity forms a key part of the Home Office’s drive to restore order to the immigration system under the Labour Government’s Plan for Change.
In many cases, individuals travelling to the UK illegally are sold a lie by smuggling gangs that they will be able to live and work freely in the UK, when in reality they often end up facing squalid living conditions, minimal pay and inhumane working hours, with the threat of arrest and removal if they are caught working illegally.
In the latest move to restore order to the asylum and immigration system, the government is also introducing tough new laws to clamp down on illegal working by extending Right to Work checks on those hiring gig economy and zero-hours workers in sectors like construction, food delivery, beauty salons and courier services.
Britain’s ‘failed’ immigration system will be radically reformed so the system is controlled, managed and fair under a landmark White Paper
Britain’s failed immigration system will be radically reformed so the system is controlled, managed and fair under a landmark White Paper to be published tomorrow (Monday 12 May).
The government inherited a chaotic immigration system that saw net migration soar to record levels – driven by a huge increase in overseas recruitment since 2020.
The government is now delivering on the priorities of working people to bring down numbers, restore control of Britain’s borders and make the system work for the economy.
The Immigration White Paper will deliver on its manifesto pledge to cut migration by training domestic workers, raising the bar on who can come to the UK and ending reliance on overseas labour.
It will establish tough new controls to restore order to a failed system that saw net migration almost quadruple to one million between 2019 and 2023.
New measures mean skills thresholds for work visas will be returned to degree level – reversing a system that saw the proportion of lower-skilled visas issued increase between 2021 and 2024.
Meanwhile the government will end the chronic underinvestment in domestic skills that has hindered economic growth.
We will support businesses to take on British workers through new industry workforce strategies, while introducing much tighter restrictions on recruitment for shortage occupations.
Employers will first need to develop domestic training plans to boost British skills and recruitment levels – increasing productivity and living standards for working people in the UK.
So migration works for the whole UK, the country will remain open to the best of international talent – enhancing economic growth – while ensuring skilled work for migration purposes must truly mean skilled work.
The announcement follows major steps the government has already taken to crackdown on those exploiting the system and restoring order to the immigration system – ramping up removals to return 24,000 people with no right to be here since July 2024, the highest rate in eight years.
But this government is going further. The White Paper establishes whole new approaches to migration across a range of areas – including work, study and family life – based on the principles of control, contribution and community cohesion.
It delivers on the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change to reduce the staggeringly high levels of immigration and replace Britain’s failing approach with a new plan that supports national security, economic renewal and restoring the confidence of the public.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: ”Migration must be properly controlled and managed so the system is fair. Instead, we’ve seen net migration quadruple in the space of just four years, driven especially by overseas recruitment.
“We inherited a failed immigration system where the previous government replaced free movement with a free market experiment.
“Employers were given much greater freedom to recruit from abroad while action on training fell.
“Overseas recruitment soared at the same time as big increases in the number of people not working or in education here in the UK.
“The last government lost control of the immigration system and there was no proper plan to tackle skills shortages here at home.
“This has undermined public confidence, distorted our labour market, and been really damaging for both our immigration system and our economy.
“Under our Plan for Change, we are taking decisive action to restore control and order to the immigration system, raise domestic training and skills, and bring down net migration while promoting economic growth.”
Measures to be set out tomorrow include:
Raising the skilled visa threshold to RQF6 (graduate level) to reduce increasing numbers of lower-skilled workers coming to the UK – with salary thresholds reflecting the higher skill level.
For occupations below this level, access to the immigration system will be strictly time-limited, granted only on the basis of strong evidence of shortages which are critical to the industrial strategy and where workforce strategies are drawn up so employers also commit to increasing domestic skills and recruitment.
Establishing the Labour Market Evidence Group (LMEG) to inform understanding of where sectors are overly reliant on overseas labour and reverse underinvestment in domestic skills.
For the first time it means that there will be a national approach to ensuring that action on skills, employer strategies and increasing UK workforce participation are the first response to labour market shortages rather than employers simply turning to immigration to fill gaps.
Foreign criminals to face rapid deportation
New reforms to deportation and removal rules will make it easier to remove foreign criminals committing crimes in the UK
The overhaul will make it easier to remove those who commit offences – including violence against women and girls, street and knife crimes – before the threat they pose escalates.
The reforms will be announced tomorrow as part of the government’s Immigration White Paper, which will radically reform Britain’s failed immigration system.
The Home Office will consider all offences, not just those that carry a 12-month custodial sentence, and strengthen powers to remove perpetrators of violence against women and girls.
Any foreign national placed on the Sex Offenders Register – regardless of sentence length – will be classed as having committed a ‘serious crime’ with no right to asylum protections in the UK.
Since July 2024, the Home Office has removed 3,594 foreign criminals from the UK – a 16% increase on the same period 12 months prior.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “It is a basic requirement – those who come to the UK should abide by our laws. The system for returning foreign criminals has been far too weak for too long.
“Already we have increased the number of foreign national offenders being removed since the election. But we need much higher standards. The rules need to be respected and enforced.
“We need to restore control so that net migration comes down and proper standards and order are returned.”
As part of the White Paper, the government will also update refusal policies and immigration rules to mirror these changes. This means if a person commits an offence while on a short-term visa, they will be refused if they make a fresh application.
New measures will be explored to swiftly cancel visas to those who commit crimes, ensuring action is taken against offenders before they can put down roots in the UK.
Most successful January in over half a decade for Home Office Immigration Enforcement teams tackling illegal working
A record-breaking January for illegal working enforcement activity has been revealed by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper as the government’s landmark Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill returns to Parliament for its second reading, today (Monday 10 February).
Tackling illegal working plays a vital part in the Home Office’s system-wide approach to ending the promise of false jobs used by smuggling gangs to sell spaces on boats and taking down their business models as we restore order to the immigration system.
Following a drive from this government to have more deployable enforcement staff, a renewed crackdown on those attempting to undermine the UK’s borders last month saw the highest January in over half a decade for enforcement activity.
Throughout January alone, Immigration Enforcement teams descended on 828 premises, including nail bars, convenience stores, restaurants and car washes, marking a 48% rise compared to the previous January. Arrests also surged to 609, demonstrating a 73% increase from just 352 the previous year.
More broadly, between 5 July last year and 31 January, both illegal working visits and arrests have soared by around 38% compared to the same 12 months prior. During the same period, the Home Office issued a total of 1,090 civil penalty notices. Employers could face a fine of up to £60,000 per worker if found liable.
In many cases, those who come to the UK and end up working illegally are sold false promises about their ability to live and work in the UK, creating a dangerous draw for people to risk their lives by crossing the Channel on a small boat.
In reality, illegal working is inextricably linked to squalid living conditions, little to no pay and inhumane working hours. By paying so little, rogue employers often attempt to avoid paying their fair share in taxes to contribute to the economy and undercut honest competitors who follow the law.
Under its Plan for Change, the government is delivering steadfast action to restore order to the UK immigration system and the surge in enforcement activity to crack down on illegal working is a vital cog in the government’s wider machine to identify, disrupt and tackle irregular migration across the country.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: ”The immigration rules must be respected and enforced. For far too long, employers have been able to take on and exploit illegal migrants and too many people have been able to arrive and work illegally with no enforcement action ever taken.
“Not only does this create a dangerous draw for people to risk their lives by crossing the Channel in a small boat, but it results in the abuse of vulnerable people, the immigration system and our economy.
“That’s why, as part of our Plan for Change, we are boosting enforcement to record levels alongside tough new legislation to smash the criminal gangs that undermine our border security and who have been getting away with it for far too long.”
While enforcement teams respond to illegal working intelligence in all sectors, a significant proportion of last month’s activity took place at restaurants, takeaways and cafes as well as in the food, drink and tobacco industry.
An operation in Cheshire to vape shops led to 10 immigration arrests and 2 criminal arrests for counterfeit documents, with civil penalty referral notices being made to employers, and a visit to an Indian restaurant in Humberside led to 7 arrests and 4 detentions. Elsewhere, in South London, a visit to a grocery warehouse resulted in 6 arrests and 4 people being detained.
As part of this activity, Immigrant Enforcement play a critical safeguarding role, working closely with the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority and other organisations to allow employees to report labour exploitation.
Eddy Montgomery, Director of Enforcement, Compliance and Crime, said: ”These figures demonstrate the commitment of my teams to crack down on those who think they can flout our immigration system.
“I hope it sends a strong signal that there is no hiding place from the law, and we will continue to ramp up our activity to ensure those involved face the full consequences.
“We also know that many people who end up working illegally are often subjected to extremely poor conditions, so we will continue to do all we can to safeguard and protect the most vulnerable.”
Border Security is central to the government’s Plan for Change and, alongside enforcement activity, the Home Office is ramping up returns of individuals with no right to be in the UK.
Just last month, the department smashed its target to drive the removal of foreign criminals and immigration offenders to the highest level since 2018, with 16,400 people removed since the election. This figure is expected to go up later today when the Home Office publishes updated figures running to the end of January.
Since July, bespoke charter flights have also removed immigration offenders to countries around the world, including 4 of the biggest returns flights in the UK’s history carrying more than 800 people. Individuals removed since the election include criminals convicted of drug offences, theft, rape and murder.
The Labour government is also working upstream to deter people from entering the UK illegally by launching a new international campaign to debunk people smugglers’ lies.
Social media adverts went live in Vietnam in December and Albania in January, highlighting real stories from migrants who entered the UK illegally, only to face debt, exploitation, and a life far from what they were promised. The campaign also warns prospective migrants about the realities of illegal working, as the government continues to crack down on employers who break the law and exploit people for profit.
In the months ahead, we will go further than ever by introducing new counter terror-style powers to identify, disrupt and smash people smuggling gangs as part of new, robust legislation to protect UK borders, set to be discussed in Parliament today.
The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill will grant law enforcement additional powers to take earlier and more effective action against organised crime gangs, including seizing mobile phones from people who come to the UK illegally before the point of arrest.
Next month, the government will go further by hosting a landmark Border Security Summit at the historic Lancaster House in London.
A watershed moment in the UK’s fight against Organised Immigration Crime, the summit will bring together delegates from over 40 countries, as well as guest participants from a range of international institutions, including the European Union.
The summit will be held on Monday 31 March and Tuesday 1 April, and will facilitate a range of discussions on the best ways to tackle criminal networks facilitating organised immigration crime and migrant smuggling.
