The UK Home Office has announced a new partnership with leading food delivery firms—Deliveroo, Just Eat, and Uber Eats—to share data on the locations of hotels housing asylum seekers. This move is part of a broader crackdown on illegal working within the gig economy, particularly targeting migrants who are working despite being barred from employment during their asylum claim processing period.
Under current UK law, asylum seekers are prohibited from working for the first 12 months after arrival or until their asylum applications are approved. However, concerns have been mounting that some individuals housed in asylum hotels have been earning money by working as delivery riders, often within hours of arriving in the country. Reports suggest that some delivery riders have been sharing their accounts with migrants who do not have the right to work, allowing these individuals to operate on the platforms illicitly.
To combat this, the Home Office will now provide these food delivery companies with the locations of asylum hotels, enabling them to detect suspicious patterns such as accounts spending excessive time near these sites. The firms have committed to stepping up enforcement efforts, including enhanced real-time identity and right-to-work checks. These measures have already resulted in thousands of riders being removed from delivery platforms.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper emphasized the importance of these steps, stating, "Illegal working undermines honest business, exploits vulnerable individuals and fuels organised immigration crime. By enhancing our data sharing with delivery companies, we are taking decisive action to close loopholes and increase enforcement." Cooper also highlighted that these changes coincide with a 50% increase in raids and arrests for illegal working under the government's Plan for Change, alongside tougher legislation and greater security measures.
In June 2025, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp visited a London hotel housing asylum seekers and claimed to have uncovered "clear evidence" of individuals working illegally for food delivery firms. This revelation prompted discussions between delivery companies and government ministers, leading to commitments from Deliveroo, Just Eat, and Uber Eats to implement stricter security protocols, including increased facial verification and fraud detection tools to ensure only verified users can access their platforms.
Deliveroo has asserted its leadership in introducing security measures to prevent platform abuse, with a spokesperson noting, "Deliveroo has led the sector in introducing security measures to prevent the abuse of our platform and tackle the sophisticated criminals seeking new ways to exploit all delivery platforms’ systems." Similarly, Just Eat highlighted significant investments in strengthening their systems against abuse by individuals and organized criminal groups, working closely with the Home Office and industry partners to address loopholes and collaborate on data sharing and enforcement. Uber Eats has also introduced state-of-the-art detection tools to find and remove fraudulent accounts and continuously reviews its methods to detect and act on illegal working.
Despite these efforts, some experts express skepticism about the effectiveness of the new measures. Emma Brooksbank, an immigration partner at law firm Freeths, criticized the approach, pointing out that gig economy platforms are largely unregulated and not subject to the usual £60,000-per-worker fines imposed on other businesses for illegal hiring. She warned, "It will not be difficult for illegal workers to bypass this restriction and avoid detection, thereby making the agreed data sharing pointless. Companies like these gig economy operators have no real incentive to clean up their act." This regulatory gap, according to Brooksbank, could undermine the efficacy of the crackdown.
The government’s crackdown extends beyond the gig economy. On July 23, 2025, the UK unveiled wide-ranging sanctions targeting 25 individuals and entities involved in people-smuggling and illegal immigration networks. This list includes a small boat supplier in Asia, gang leaders in the Balkans and North Africa, people accused of sourcing fake passports, middlemen facilitating illicit payments, and gang members involved in smuggling migrants via lorries and small boats. Foreign Secretary David Lammy described the sanctions as a "landmark moment," warning, "My message to the gangs who callously risk vulnerable lives for profit is this: we know who you are, and we will work with our partners around the world to hold you to account." However, Dr. Madeleine Sumption, director of Oxford University's Migration Observatory, expressed doubts about the impact of these sanctions, suggesting that targeting individuals in such a vast industry might only produce marginal effects.
Alongside these enforcement actions, the government has promised a "nationwide blitz" to deter illegal working, particularly targeting migrants who might be attracted to the UK by perceived job opportunities. Raids on companies suspected of employing illegal workers have increased by 50%, and between January and March 2025, 748 illegal working civil penalty notices were issued to companies violating immigration laws. Officials hope that these measures, combined with recent agreements such as the deal between Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron to return some small boat arrivals to France, will reduce the "pull factors" drawing migrants to the UK.
The partnership between the Home Office and food delivery firms reflects a growing recognition of the challenges posed by the gig economy in enforcing immigration laws. The flexibility and often informal nature of gig work make it a fertile ground for exploitation and illegal employment. While the new data-sharing agreement and enhanced security measures represent significant steps forward, the concerns raised by legal experts and the unregulated status of gig platforms suggest that the battle against illegal working in this sector is far from over.
As the government continues to tighten enforcement and target criminal networks facilitating illegal migration, the effectiveness of these measures will depend on sustained cooperation between public authorities and private companies, as well as potential reforms to bring gig economy operators under stricter regulatory oversight. For now, the sharing of asylum hotel locations with delivery firms marks a notable escalation in efforts to close loopholes and protect both vulnerable migrants and legitimate businesses from exploitation.
