Illegal workers ‘have nowhere to hide’ as arrests reach record levels
New figures reveal a significant increase in enforcement against illegal work in the UK, with both workplace visits and arrests reaching the highest levels since records began in 2019.
Data shows that there were 12,791 visits to establishments such as manicurists, car washes, barbers and takeaway shops in 2025.
This represents a significant increase of 57 percent compared to the 8,122 visits recorded in the previous year.
Arrests related to illegal work also hit a record high; 8,971 people were arrested last year; This is an increase of almost 59 per cent compared to the 5,647 arrests made in 2024, the previous high point in Home Office data.
Of those arrested, 1,087 people have been deported from the UK so far.
These intensified efforts are part of the government’s broader strategy to curb illegal work and deter individuals from entering the country illegally.
Home Affairs Minister Shabana Mahmood said: “There is no place for illegal work in our societies.
“That’s why we’ve stepped up enforcement activity to the highest level in British history, so illegal immigrants in the underground economy have nowhere to hide.
“I will stop at nothing to restore order and control at our borders.”
The Home Office also said visits had increased by 77 per cent and arrests by 83 per cent since Labor came to power.
Between July 2024 and December last year, approximately 17,483 visits and 12,322 arrests were recorded; From January 2023 to June 2024, this number increased to 9,894 and 6,725 people, respectively.
Of those arrested, 1,726 people have returned so far; This represents a 35 per cent increase on the 1,283 people suspended from visits in the previous 18-month period.
Between visits by immigration officers, officers arrested 13 people at a warehouse in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, on 25 November; This led to the detention of 11 Brazilian and Romanian nationals pending deportation from the United Kingdom.
The Home Office said that on December 16, police officers arrested 30 Indian and Albanian men at a construction site in Swindon, Wiltshire, almost all of whom were detained pending deportation from the UK and five of whom were released on immigration bail.
Eddy Montgomery, the Home Office’s director of enforcement teams, said: “While this is a huge success, our work will not stop there; we will continue to crack down on these crimes in our towns, cities and villages to ensure there is nowhere left to hide from immigration laws.”
£5 million has been given to the immigration department to arrest, detain and remove immigrants working illegally in places such as takeaways, beauty salons and car washes.
Officers have also been using body-worn cameras to assist in arrests and prosecutions since September.
Elsewhere, stricter right-to-work checks have been introduced under the Government’s new Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act, with casual, temporary or agency workers required to prove their status.
Employers who fail to comply with inspections could face up to five years in prison, a £60,000 fine for each illegal worker they employ and the closure of their premises.
