Latest reviewed snapshot: Q4 2026 Enforcement Snapshot
UK Illegal Working Enforcement Insights
Andrew Williams Solicitors reviews official Home Office enforcement information each quarter to help employers understand current compliance trends. Every figure below links to its official source and reporting period.
Reviewed 1 November 2026 · Data last checked 1 November 2026
Key enforcement figures
First half of 2026 (1 January to 30 June 2026), with the full year 2025 for comparison.
7,270
7,270 illegal working visits were carried out between 1 January and 30 June 2026.
4,756
4,756 arrests resulted from illegal working visits between 1 January and 30 June 2026.
More than 1,200
More than 1,200 businesses found employing people illegally were issued a civil penalty in the first half of 2026.
Over £74m
Those businesses face fines of over £74 million.
2,438
During 2025, 2,438 civil penalties were issued to employers.
Over £130m
Employers penalised in 2025 face fines of over £130 million.
561
561 civil penalties were issued in Q1 2026 (1 January to 31 March), with a gross value of £32.6 million.
677
677 civil penalties were issued in Q2 2026 (1 April to 30 June), with a gross value of £42 million.
Compared with the same period in 2025, visits rose 31% and arrests rose 20%, as reported by the Home Office. Penalty values are gross amounts before objections and appeals.
Enforcement trend
Annual Home Office figures. Where two official publications give different totals for the same year, we cite the later regional publication once reviewed; any year still under review is not shown.
Illegal working visits by year (UK)
- 2019Figure under solicitor review — official sources differ
- 2020Figure under solicitor review — official sources differ
- 20211,345
- 20223,768
- 20236,464
- 20248,122
- 202512,791
Illegal working arrests by year (UK)
- 20193,153
- 2020Figure under solicitor review — official sources differ
- 2021507
- 2022Figure under solicitor review — official sources differ
- 2023Figure under solicitor review — official sources differ
- 20245,647
- 20258,971
Sector insights
Illegal working visits by sector, from the Home Office sector table. Sectors with fewer than 100 visits in 2025 are not listed separately by the Home Office.
| Sector | Visits 2023 | Visits 2024 | Visits 2025 | Guidance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurants, takeaways and cafes | 2,269 | 2,695 | 3,559 | |
| Food, drink and tobacco retail | 1,092 | 1,351 | 2,570 | |
| Beauty industry (nail bars, tanning salons, barbers) | 629 | 1,105 | 1,865 | |
| Car washes | 541 | 619 | 808 | |
| Warehousing, distribution and delivery services | 181 | 203 | 796 | |
| Retail (non-food) | 308 | 415 | 574 | |
| Construction | 140 | 118 | 290 |
The Home Office does not publish a separate figure for care providers in this table: Data not published / insufficient verified data. See Immigration Compliance for Care Providers
Regional insights
Visits and arrests by English region and UK nation. These are counts of enforcement activity, not a risk rating for any business or area.
Enforcement activity heatmap
Select a region to see its figures.
Schematic map, not to scale. Shading shows counts of Home Office enforcement activity, not a risk rating for any business or area.
| Region / nation | Visits 2024 | Visits 2025 | Arrests 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| London | 2,008 | 2,715 | 2,172 |
| North West | 924 | 1,771 | 841 |
| Wales | 650 | 1,320 | 649 |
| West Midlands | 847 | 1,315 | 1,254 |
| South West | 688 | 1,289 | 1,117 |
| South East | 910 | 1,210 | 933 |
| Scotland | 431 | 695 | 400 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 442 | 620 | 521 |
| East of England | 383 | 610 | 387 |
| East Midlands | 461 | 547 | 207 |
| North East | 272 | 512 | 256 |
| Northern Ireland | 106 | 187 | 234 |
What this means for employers
General legal information from Andrew Williams Solicitors. It is not advice on your circumstances.
Right to work checks
Visits are rising across every sector the Home Office reports. A compliant check made before employment starts is what gives an employer a statutory excuse.
Repeat checks
Where a worker has time-limited permission, a further check is needed before it expires to keep the excuse in place.
Statutory excuse
The excuse depends on following the prescribed steps exactly and keeping a dated record. Gaps can leave a business exposed to a penalty.
Sponsor duties
Sponsors carry reporting, record-keeping and monitoring duties in addition to right to work checks.
Record keeping
Keep copies of checks for the length of employment and for the period required afterwards, in a form you can produce on request.
Visa expiry monitoring
A simple diary of expiry dates helps avoid workers continuing beyond their permission.
Home Office visits
Visits may be unannounced. Knowing who leads the response and where records are kept matters.
Civil-penalty exposure
Penalties are charged per illegal worker, so exposure scales with headcount and repeat breaches.
Audit readiness
A periodic internal or solicitor-led review can identify gaps before an enforcement contact.
Solicitor-led service
Annual Immigration Compliance Support
A year-round legal support arrangement for employers and sponsors. Scope is agreed with you; fees are confirmed in writing before any work starts.
- Annual right to work audit
- Sponsor licence health check
- Policy review
- Document and record review
- Training for staff who carry out checks
- Compliance planning
- Mock Home Office visit
- Remediation support
Quarterly Immigration Enforcement Briefing
A short solicitor-reviewed summary each time this snapshot is updated. Ask us to add you to the list.
Ask to receive the briefingKnowledge Centre
Practical guidance on right to work checks, sponsor duties, visits and penalties.
Source and methodology
Figures are drawn from published Home Office and GOV.UK sources and reviewed through Andrew Williams Solicitors' governed legal-content process. Enforcement datasets may be revised or published at different intervals. This page provides general information and does not constitute legal advice.
- Illegal working and enforcement activity to the end of June 2026 — Home Office. Published 7 August 2026. Period: 1 January to 30 June 2026. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Illegal working and enforcement data to the end of December 2025: by region — Home Office. Published 12 January 2026. Period: Calendar years 2019 to 2025. Checked 1 November 2026.
- Illegal working and enforcement activity to the end of December 2025: by illegal working sector — Home Office. Published 4 February 2026. Period: Calendar years 2019 to 2025. Checked 1 November 2026.
- An employer's guide to right to work checks — Home Office. Published 1 January 2026. Period: Current guidance. Checked 1 November 2026.