The Home Office has announced it will share the locations of hotels housing asylum seekers with major food delivery companies — including Deliveroo, Just Eat, and Uber Eats — as part of
efforts to combat illegal working.
The agreement will help these companies flag suspicious activity, such as delivery accounts spending unusual amounts of time near the hotels. The initiative aims to prevent delivery riders from sharing their accounts with asylum seekers who are not legally allowed to work in the UK.
Currently, asylum seekers are barred from working during the first 12 months of their stay, or until their asylum claims are approved. However, there have been growing concerns that some have been working unofficially through food delivery platforms.
Last month, the companies pledged to tighten identity checks and verify riders’ right-to-work status. The Home Office says these efforts have already resulted in thousands being removed from the platforms and hopes the new data-sharing measures will increase enforcement.
“Illegal working undermines honest business, exploits vulnerable people, and fuels organised immigration crime,” said Home Secretary Yvette Cooper. “This enhanced data sharing with delivery firms is a decisive step toward closing loopholes.”
Deliveroo, Just Eat, and Uber Eats confirmed their support for the plan and said they would increase enforcement against account misuse.
This initiative comes alongside a broader government crackdown on illegal migration. On Wednesday, officials announced a list of 25 individuals and organisations facing new sanctions, including small boat suppliers in Asia and smuggling gang leaders in the Balkans and North Africa.
The list also targets those accused of producing fake passports and facilitating illicit payments linked to people-smuggling networks.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy called the move a “landmark moment” and issued a warning to trafficking gangs: “We know who you are, and we will work with global partners to hold you accountable.”
Still, some migration experts cautioned against overestimating the impact of these measures. Dr. Madeleine Sumption, director of Oxford University’s Migration Observatory, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme she was “surprised” by the level of optimism.
“There are so many actors in the smuggling industry that targeting a few individuals is only likely to have a limited effect,” she said. Photo by Steve Cadman, Wikimedia commons.
