The Home Office reports more than 17,400 illegal working raids and more than 12,300 arrests from July 2024 to December 2025, with plans to widen right to work checks, relevant to employers and workers.
Published 13 January 2026.
The Home Office has published figures on Immigration Enforcement activity against illegal working. They cover July 2024 to the end of December 2025.
According to the figures, the number of raids has risen by 77% in the UK since the government took office, and arrests have risen by 83%. More than 17,400 raids were made on businesses, and the Home Office says the uplift led to more than 12,300 arrests. It names nail bars, car washes, barbers and takeaway shops as examples of the businesses visited. It says the uplift was made possible by a £5 million funding boost for Immigration Enforcement last year.
For Wales, the Home Office reports 1,320 raids in 2025, leading to 649 arrests. These are rises of 103% and 85% respectively compared with 2024.
The announcement also gives these related figures:
- Removals and deportations of 50,000 illegal migrants, which the Home Office describes as a 23% increase under this government.
- A 33% rise in disruptions related to migrant smuggling over the last 12 months, with nearly 4,000 disruptions since July 2024.
The Home Office gives three examples from Wales in 2025: visits to warehouses in Caldicot on 5 August (8 arrests), to a barber's in Porthmadog on 12 September (3 arrests), and to a construction site in Gower, Swansea (7 arrests). The source gives no date for the Gower visit.
The announcement also covers ongoing and planned measures:
- Immigration Enforcement officers across the UK now have body-worn video technology. The rollout began in September 2025 and all teams now have it.
- Through the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act, the government is expanding right to work checks to cover the gig, casual, subcontracted and temporary worker economy. The source gives no commencement date.
- Digital ID, announced last year, will be mandatory for proving right to work by the end of Parliament.
What this means for applicants
The announcement describes two planned changes to right to work checks. Under the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act, checks are being expanded to cover the gig, casual, subcontracted and temporary worker economy. Digital ID will be mandatory for proving right to work by the end of Parliament. The source gives no date for the extension of checks and no further detail on how either change will operate.
Sources
- Immigration Enforcement raids reach highest level in history, GOV.UK, Home Office