Overview

• Between 5 July 2024 and 31 May 2025, Immigration Enforcement arrested 6,410 people on suspicion of illegal working, a 51% increase from the previous year.
• Officials conducted approximately 9,000 visits to restaurants, nail bars, construction sites and other premises to identify unauthorised workers.
• Nearly 30,000 individuals without the right to remain have been returned to their home countries under the government’s Plan for Change.
• New legislation extends mandatory Right to Work checks into gig economy and zero-hours roles, exposing employers to fines up to £60,000 per worker and potential director disqualifications.
• Advocates say migrants still endure squalid conditions, low pay and excessive hours, even as the government stresses its tougher enforcement will protect vulnerable workers.