In recent years, the UK has seen a substantial increase in net immigration, a factor which partly contributed to the Conservative Party’s General Election loss. While the new Labour government hasn’t set a defined target for net migration, they have publicly stated their desire to tackle illegal migration. Illegal working, the subject of today’s article, has been a key focus for the Home Office in recent weeks.
On the subject of this particular topic, we recently reported on a crackdown on illegal working in industries such as construction, nail bars, supermarkets etc, as well as how we can help your business to comply with the law here.
Increase in migration returns and illegal working arrests
In an effort to tackle small boats crossings, the Home Secretary recently set out to tackle promises of jobs made by smuggling gangs to sell spaces in their small boats before crossing the English Channel.
The Home Office has pledged to have the highest rate of returns since 2018 in the first 6 months since the election. They are on track to deliver on this front, with 13,500 people with no right to be in the UK removed during that time.
Measures announced by Home Secretary
As part of their crackdown on illegal working, the government has also announced a range of measures:
- £5m to be spent on body-worn cameras to over 1,200 frontline officers in order to increase the amount of evidence collected on immigration raids and increase prosecutions and action against exploitative employers
- £3m to be invested in new fingerprint kits for enforcement officers in order to better identify “high-risk individuals”
- Upstream communications campaigns aimed at exposing “the lies told by criminal smuggling gangs”
– This will include warning prospective migrants about the inhumane living conditions they could face and exploitative working practises for those working illegally
The Home Secretary added: “I am boosting the capabilities of our immigration enforcement officers to make sure they have the tools they need to further crack down on illegal working and shine a light on the hidden economy and false promises that criminal smuggling gangs are using to encourage people to cross the Channel in small boats. If you employ people illegally, you will face consequences. The rules must be respected and enforced.”
Some notable statistics since July which the Home Office was keen to trumpet include the following:
- The redeployment of 1,000 additional people into immigration enforcement
- The four biggest return flights in UK history, all numbering more than 800 people
- Increase of enforced returns by 25% of those with no right to be here compared with the previous year
- Return of 2,100 foreign criminals since 5th July 2024, an increase of 20% compared with the previous period
Our thoughts
Whether the measures announced by the Home Secretary will be sufficient remains to be seen, however the statistics so far demonstrate that they have been reasonably successful in returning those foreign criminals and those with no right to be here in recent months.
We will continue to keep you updated on the latest immigration news. If you are concerned about your current hiring practices or wish to secure a sponsor licence to access international talent, contact us today to learn how we can help you achieve compliance and peace of mind.
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