Home Office Raids on Businesses - Scotland and the UK-Wide Crackdown on Illegal Working

13th January 2026

In 2025, Scotland saw a marked increase in Home Office immigration enforcement activity, reflecting a wider UK-wide clampdown on illegal working.

While immigration is reserved to Westminster, the impact of enforcement policy has been felt directly in Scottish towns and cities, with hundreds of workplace raids carried out across sectors such as hospitality, construction, car washes and personal services.

According to Home Office statistics, Immigration Enforcement teams carried out around 695 visits to businesses in Scotland in 2025 where illegal working was suspected.

These visits, often described as raids, resulted in approximately 400 arrests of individuals believed to be working without the legal right to do so. This represented a significant rise on the previous year, with enforcement activity in Scotland increasing by roughly a third.

Although Scotland accounts for a relatively small proportion of the UK population, the scale of activity underlined that it was fully included in the government's tougher enforcement approach.

These Scottish figures form part of what the Home Office has described as the largest crackdown on illegal working in UK history.

Across the UK as a whole in 2025, Immigration Enforcement carried out between 12,500 and 17,000 workplace visits, depending on how enforcement activity is counted.

In total, nearly 9,000 arrests linked to illegal working were made nationwide — the highest annual figure since detailed records began. The most heavily targeted sectors included nail bars, takeaways, warehouses, agriculture, and urban hospitality businesses.

The government has argued that illegal working acts as a "pull factor" for irregular migration and undermines lawful employment, wages and tax revenues.

As a result, enforcement has focused not only on individuals without the right to work, but also on employers suspected of exploiting labour or failing to carry out proper right-to-work checks. Businesses found to be in breach of the law can face heavy fines, criminal prosecution and, in serious cases, closure orders.

Crucially, the Home Office has made clear that this surge in enforcement is not temporary. Ministers have stated that high levels of raids, arrests and removals will continue as part of a sustained strategy to deter illegal immigration.

Alongside workplace enforcement, the government has expanded employer compliance checks, increased penalties for illegal employment, and stepped up deportations of those with no legal right to remain in the UK.

In Scotland, this approach has proved politically contentious. The Scottish Government has repeatedly emphasised the need for migration to support economic growth and public services, particularly in sectors facing labour shortages.

Critics argue that aggressive enforcement risks pushing vulnerable workers further underground and damaging community relations, while supporters maintain that consistent enforcement is necessary to uphold the integrity of the immigration system.

What is clear, however, is that 2025 marked a turning point in enforcement intensity. Scotland was not exempt from the Home Office's tougher stance and experienced a clear rise in raids and arrests.

With the UK government signalling no intention to ease its approach, immigration enforcement including workplace raids is set to remain a prominent and controversial feature of the political landscape both in Scotland and across the UK.

Penalties for Employers Who Hire Illegal Immigrants in the UK

In the UK, including Scotland, employers who hire people without the legal right to work face a range of severe penalties. These sanctions are enforced by the Home Office and form a central part of the government’s wider strategy to tackle illegal working, which it argues acts as a pull factor for irregular migration and undermines lawful employment.

The most common consequences for employers fall under the civil penalty system. Where an employer is found to have employed an illegal worker and cannot prove that they carried out the required right-to-work checks before employment began, they may be fined heavily. For a first offence, fines can reach up to £45,000 per illegal worker, while repeat offenders can be fined up to £60,000 per worker. These penalties are designed to deter employers from cutting corners and to encourage strict compliance with immigration checks.

Employers can avoid civil penalties only if they can demonstrate that they followed the correct legal procedures, which provides them with what is known as a "statutory excuse".

In more serious cases, employers may face criminal prosecution. If it can be shown that an employer knowingly employed someone without the right to work, or had reasonable cause to believe that the individual was working illegally, this becomes a criminal offence.

The penalties are far more severe than under the civil system and include unlimited fines, imprisonment for up to five years, or both. Criminal cases are typically associated with repeated offending, deliberate exploitation of migrant workers, or organised illegal employment.

Beyond fines and prison sentences, employers may also face a range of additional business sanctions. The Home Office has the power to issue closure notices, allowing premises to be shut for up to 48 hours, with courts able to extend closures or impose compliance orders.

Businesses may also lose key licences, such as alcohol or late-night trading licences, and companies that sponsor overseas workers risk having their sponsorship licence revoked. These measures can have devastating financial consequences and, in some cases, force businesses to close permanently.

There are also wider financial and reputational consequences. Employers may be publicly named by the Home Office, damaging their reputation and customer trust. They may be required to repay unpaid tax and National Insurance contributions and can be excluded from bidding for public contracts. Taken together, these penalties are intended not only to punish wrongdoing but to act as a strong deterrent to others.

The penalties for employing illegal immigrants in the UK are wide-ranging and severe. From substantial fines to imprisonment, business closures and reputational damage, the enforcement regime reflects the government’s determination to clamp down on illegal working. For employers, the message is clear: failing to carry out proper right-to-work checks carries serious legal, financial and operational risks.