New figures show a significant surge in enforcement actions against illegal working in the UK, with both visits to businesses and arrests reaching record levels since records began in 2019. Data indicates 12,791 visits were conducted in 2025 to establishments such as nail bars, car washes, barbers, and takeaways.
This represents a near-57 per cent increase from the 8,122 visits in 2024. Arrests related to illegal working hit a record high of 8,971 individuals last year – a nearly 59 per cent rise compared to 5,647 in 2024. Of those arrested, 1,087 have so far been removed from the UK.
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.”
The Home Office said visits from enforcement personnel were up 77 per cent and arrests up 83 per cent since Labour came to power in July 2024. Some 17,483 visits and 12,322 arrests were recorded between July 2024 and December last year, up from 9,894 and 6,725 respectively across the previous 18 months.
Examples of enforcement include 13 arrests at a warehouse in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, on 25 November, leading to 11 Brazilian and Romanian nationals being detained for removal. On 16 December, officers arrested 30 Indian and Albanian men at a construction site in Swindon, Wiltshire, nearly all of whom were detained for removal.
Immigration enforcement has received £5 million to arrest, detain and remove illegal workers. Officers have worn body-worn cameras since September to aid arrests and prosecutions. Tighter right-to-work checks have also been introduced under the new Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act, with employers facing up to five years in prison, fines of £60,000 per illegal worker, and potential business closure for non-compliance.
