Illegal working activity since 5 July 2024
Updated 10 February 2025
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This note provides statistics on Home Office activity to tackle illegal employment and the exploitation of vulnerable people in the UK since early July. It is intended to provide the public with clear and timely statistics in an area of high public interest.
Illegal working
Since 5 July (to 31 January 2025), both the number of illegal working visits and arrests have gone up by around 38%, when compared to the same period 12 months prior. There were 3,932 visits from 5 July 2023 to 31 January 2024 with 2,850 arrests, while 5 July 2024 to 31 January 2025 saw 5,424 visits with 3,930 arrests. This includes 828 illegal working visits conducted in January, the best performing January in the published timeseries (since 2019).
Since 1 July, we have issued 1,090 premises civil penalty notices, this means the employers could face a fine of up to £60,000 per worker if found guilty.
Illegal working visits and arrests by region
Illegal working visits by region
| Region | Total 5 July 2023 to 31 January 2024 | Total 5 July 2024 to 31 January 2025 | January 2024 | January 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East of England | 149 | 240 | 19 | 25 |
| London | 926 | 1,339 | 129 | 209 |
| Midlands | 769 | 875 | 119 | 131 |
| North East, Yorkshire & Humber | 385 | 407 | 56 | 50 |
| North West | 489 | 620 | 52 | 129 |
| Northern Ireland | 82 | 69 | 13 | 15 |
| Rapid Response Team | 56 | 22 | 6 | 2 |
| Scotland | 169 | 285 | 18 | 39 |
| South Central | 164 | 332 | 28 | 38 |
| South East | 250 | 395 | 34 | 69 |
| Wales and West of England | 493 | 840 | 82 | 121 |
| Total illegal working enforcement visits | 3,932 | 5,424 | 556 | 828 |
Illegal working arrests by region
| Region | Total 5 July 2023 to 31 January 2024 | Total 5 July 2024 to 31 January 2025 | January 2024 | January 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East of England | 143 | 171 | 11 | 23 |
| London | 721 | 1,012 | 83 | 142 |
| Midlands | 619 | 604 | 79 | 106 |
| North East, Yorkshire & Humber | 257 | 334 | 36 | 39 |
| North West | 313 | 406 | 41 | 87 |
| Northern Ireland | 81 | 59 | 6 | 8 |
| Rapid Response Team | 28 | 10 | 10 | 3 |
| Scotland | 103 | 189 | 8 | 29 |
| South Central | 111 | 279 | 18 | 33 |
| South East | 155 | 252 | 15 | 38 |
| Wales and West of England | 319 | 614 | 45 | 101 |
| Total encountered and then arrested | 2,850 | 3,930 | 352 | 609 |
Revisions to the statistics
The data and statistics contained within this notice are provisional and taken from live operational systems on 5 February 2025 and as a result, figures are subject to further revision and change.
Definitions and further data on enforcement visits and outcomes since 2019 were reported in Additional statistics relating to Illegal Migration (April 2024).
The Home Office will publish comprehensive statistics on immigration enforcement activity in the next Immigration system statistics quarterly release.