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The United Kingdom has recorded a major surge in illegal working visits and arrests by Immigration Enforcement, the Home Office said on Sunday.
The department, in a post on X, said that more than 17,000 arrests have been made since July 2024
It also noted that the figure represents a 122 percent increase on the two-year period immediately prior.
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“There has been a major surge in illegal working visits and arrests by Immigration Enforcement,” the Home Office said.
“More than 17,000 illegal working arrests have been made since July 2024.
“This is more than double the number made in the previous two years.”
Official figures show that between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2026, Immigration Enforcement teams have now made over 17,000 arrests on illegal working visits, a 122% increase on the two years immediately prior.
The teams have carried out almost 25,000 visits across the UK to businesses suspected of using illegal workers, marking a 111% increase. Of those arrested, 2,357 people have been returned so far, a 50% increase on the 1,570 people returned from visits between 1 July 2022 and 30 June 2024, according to the Home Office.
In the first six months of 2026 alone, officers conducted 7,270 visits and made 4,756 arrests, representing a 31 percent rise in visits and a 20 percent increase in arrests compared with the same period in 2025.
The highest arrest rates were recorded in London, the West Midlands and South West England. London saw 1,256 arrests, up 32 percent, followed by the West Midlands with 701 arrests, up 22 percent, and the South West with 693 arrests, up 44 percent.
More than 1,200 businesses found to be employing people illegally have been issued with civil penalties, with fines exceeding £74 million.
The Home Office said enforcement activity has focused on sectors with high levels of illegal working, including warehousing, distribution and delivery services, where arrests increased by 325 percent compared with the previous two-year period.
Recent operations included the arrest of 10 individuals at a restaurant on King’s Road in London on May 30, and nine arrests at two large delivery depots in Newbury and Basingstoke on June 11.
