The Home Office has launched what it describes as a “nationwide blitz” on asylum seekers who take up illegal work while living in taxpayer-funded accommodation.
The announcement follows growing political pressure after reports that some asylum seekers in hotels have been working for food delivery companies using other people’s log-ins.
In a statement, the Home Office said it would begin “a major operation to disrupt this type of criminality” by targeting the gig economy, with a particular focus on takeaway delivery riders.
The statement said: “Strategic, intel-driven activity will bring together officers across the UK and place an increased focus on migrants suspected of working illegally whilst in taxpayer-funded accommodation or receiving financial support.”
While the government gave few operational details, it warned that anyone found working illegally could lose access to accommodation and financial support.
Businesses employing individuals without the right to work face penalties of up to £60,000 per worker, with further consequences including director disqualifications or possible prison sentences.
The clampdown comes after media reports revealed that asylum seekers have been using log-ins belonging to people with legal migration status to work for companies such as Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp previously shared a video of himself visiting an asylum hotel in London. He showed bicycles branded with delivery company bags packed together in a courtyard and criticised the security presence.
Philp said: “It shouldn’t take a visit to an asylum hotel by me as Shadow Home Secretary to shame the government into action.
“Illegal working by asylum seekers, most of whom also entered the country illegally, is happening from the very hotels Yvette Cooper is using our money to run. The government could easily stop it.
“I saw Deliveroo and other bikes parked in the hotel’s own compound, yet all the security guard cared about was me filming.”
Following that, Uber Eats, Deliveroo and Just Eat held an emergency meeting with Home Office ministers.
On June 30, the three companies pledged to ramp up facial verification checks to prevent unauthorised riders from using legitimate accounts.
The Home Office said enforcement and arrests linked to illegal working had already increased in the year since Labour took office.
Tackling asylum and immigration is seen as a political priority for ministers. Both Reform UK and the Conservatives continue to pressure the government on the issue, which remains contentious among parts of the electorate.
While the backlog of asylum claims is gradually being processed, small boat crossings across the Channel are still rising.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to discuss the issue with French President Emmanuel Macron during his UK visit.
Officials are considering a potential “one in, one out” arrangement, where the UK would return those who cross the Channel to France in exchange for taking in asylum seekers with existing ties to Britain.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper acknowledged concerns about the job market acting as a draw for illegal migration.
She said:
“There is no single solution to the problem of illegal migration.”
“That’s why we’ve signed landmark agreements with international partners to dismantle gangs and made significant arrests of notorious people smugglers.”
The government insists this crackdown is only part of its wider effort to tackle unauthorised migration and reduce pressures on public services, though it is yet to clarify how widespread the illegal delivery work is or how it plans to police the industry effectively.
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