Takeaways, nail salons and delivery riders exposed as worst offenders for illegal working as Home Office makes record number of raids

Illegal working raids have resulted in 2,400 fines being served to “dodgy businesses”, valued at over £130 million.

The money collected from the fines is due to be injected back into the Home Office to further their efforts in tackling illegal immigration.

Mike Tapp, Home Office minister said: “I have seen firsthand how illegal working undercuts honest businesses, damages our high streets and undermines our immigration rules.

“Immigration raids and arrests are at the highest level in British history and dodgy businesses attempting to evade checks have nowhere to hide.”

Over 2,500 people working in the restaurant sector were arrested last year on suspicion of illegal working-related crimes, making it the highest offending sector.

The distribution sector, which covers warehouses and delivery rider services, came in second, with 1,106 arrests, and close third was the beauty sector, including nail salons and hairdressers, with 1,052 people apprehended.

The number of illegal working visits carried out by immigration officers in 2025 was 12,831, a 58 per cent increase compared to the previous year.

There were over 9,000 illegal worker arrests in 2025, a 60 per cent increase compared to 2024.

However, GB News reported in January that more than 65,800 people have arrived in Britain on small boats since Sir Keir Starmer came to power - a higher figure than any of his predecessors.

Employers hiring illegal workers potentially face fines of up to £60,000 per illegal worker, business closures, alcohol licence revocations and, in the most serious cases, a maximum of five years in prison.

The Home Office has named several businesses and individuals that Immigration Enforcement has dealt with.

In December, Benoy Thomas, 50, then director of a Care Home Agency in East Sussex, was jailed for two and a half years and disqualified for being a company director for eight years for illegally recruiting 13 Indian nationals to work as care assistants.

Katie Samways, Specialist Prosecutor for CPS South East, said: "Many of those Thomas illegally employed were working with some of the most vulnerable people without adequate training or medical expertise, putting the safety and wellbeing of those who needed care at significant risk.”

Also in December, a man of Portuguese nationality was arrested for illegally working for food manufacturer Big Pot in Cookstown, Northern Ireland, and was “swiftly removed from the UK”.

The business was issued with a Civil Penalty Referral Notice, which notifies the employer they are under investigation for illegal employment.

In August, the business owner of Pretty Nails in Yate, Bristol, who had previously been issued with an £80,000 fine for hiring illegal workers, was arrested, alongside two women of Vietnamese nationality.

The salon was subsequently issued with a compliance order, meaning closer monitoring from immigration officers.

Immigration Enforcement officers also carried out seven days of targeted action against illegal delivery riders in November under Operation Equalize, where 171 riders were arrested and 60 detained for removal from the UK.

Described as the “largest crackdown” in tackling illegal working criminality in British history by the Home Office, the action was backed by a £5million fund.

These actions form part of “sweeping reforms” initiated by the Home Office, feeding into the Government’s work in removing or deporting nearly 50,000 illegal migrants.

Under the new Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act, the Government has introduced various new laws to expand right to work checks on the gig economy and is also working with industry partners, such as Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats to strengthen ID verification checks.