The Home Office reports 7,277 illegal working visits and 5,039 arrests by Immigration Enforcement from July to December 2025, with a separate count for warehousing, distribution and delivery services.
The Home Office publishes illegal working enforcement activity in Returns from the UK and illegal working activity since July 2024. The figures below are the half-year counts for July to December 2025 and the half-years before it.
July to December 2025. Immigration Enforcement carried out 7,277 illegal working visits and recorded 5,039 arrests. Of these, warehousing, distribution and delivery services accounted for 539 visits and 733 arrests. In the same half-year, 1,338 people were detained. A total of 721 people were returned (enforced and voluntary combined) following an illegal working visit.
Earlier half-years. From January to June 2025 there were 5,554 visits and 3,969 arrests. From July to December 2024 there were 4,692 visits and 3,350 arrests.
In the warehousing, distribution and delivery services category, visits rose from 126 (July to December 2024) to 257 (January to June 2025) and 539 (July to December 2025). Arrests in the same category were 205, 373 and 733.
Limits of the data. The Home Office describes the figures as provisional, taken from live operational systems, and subject to revision. Counts below 5 are shown as "<5". Returns data covers only people who have left the UK since being arrested on an illegal working visit. The source says their return cannot be directly attributed to the arrest.