The UK Home Office says 2,357 people arrested during illegal-working enforcement visits were subsequently returned from the country between July 2024 and June 2026, an increase of 50% compared with the preceding two years.
According to the Home Office, 1,570 people encountered or arrested during workplace visits were recorded as having returned between July 2022 and June 2024. The latest figures, published in official statistics updated on 8 October 2026, cover returns associated with illegal-working visits, not all immigration removals.
The department cautions that a person’s eventual departure cannot necessarily be attributed directly to an arrest. Further immigration decisions and procedures may occur between an enforcement visit and a return.
Workplace Visits and Arrests Increase
Immigration Enforcement carried out 24,793 illegal-working visits and made 17,114 arrests between July 2024 and June 2026. Compared with the preceding two years, visits rose by 111% and arrests by 122%.
During the first six months of 2026 alone, officers conducted 7,270 visits and made 4,756 arrests. Restaurants and takeaways, food retail businesses, beauty premises, delivery services, and construction were among the sectors covered by enforcement operations.
An arrest does not establish that a person has been convicted of an offence, and the number of arrests should not be confused with the number of people who subsequently left the UK.
Right to Work Checks Extend to More Arrangements
Updated Home Office Right to Work guidance, effective from 1 October 2026, extends checking duties beyond conventional employment contracts to specified worker contracts, individual subcontractors and certain online matching services.
The rules do not mean that every self-employed person or every platform user is automatically covered in the same way. Organisations must assess the nature of the working arrangement and follow the applicable prescribed checks.
Penalties and Safeguards for Lawful Workers
Under the government code of practice, employers can face civil penalties for employing someone without the right to work, including penalties of up to £60,000 per worker for repeat breaches. That maximum penalty was already in force before the October 2026 changes.
Employers are expected to carry out appropriate checks and avoid unlawful discrimination. People with permission to work can use the official online service to demonstrate their status where applicable; employers should follow Home Office guidance rather than make assumptions based on nationality or appearance.
For migrants and employers, the distinction matters: the latest enforcement statistics describe action against suspected illegal working, while the updated checking rules set out how organisations can verify employment eligibility.
