LONDON, UK – December 5, 2025 – The government’s intensive crackdown on the gig economy has led to a major wave of immigration enforcement, resulting in over 170 arrests and the deportation of more than 60 delivery riders in recent weeks, according to Home Office figures. This surge in enforcement, targeting undocumented workers, comes as a new study highlights critical flaws in the UK’s migration data and the exclusion being created by the new digital-only immigration system.
Operation Sterling, the government-backed initiative, has seen Immigration Enforcement teams partner with major delivery firms like Deliveroo and Uber Eats to conduct checks and raids on food delivery hotspots, with arrests of Indian and Bangladeshi nationals working illegally making recent headlines. The government maintains that the action is necessary to “shrink the black economy” and remove the incentive for illegal migration.
The Digital Exclusion Trap
However, a parallel report from the University of Warwick and Migrant Voice warns that the government’s shift to a mandatory digital-only immigration status—the eVisa—is creating significant stress, fear, and exclusion.
The study, which spoke to migrants across the UK, details widespread problems:
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Technical Failures: Migrants face errors, technical glitches, and shifting deadlines when attempting to generate the required “share code” to prove their right to work or rent.
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Third-Party Confusion: Landlords, employers, and even airline staff often lack the training to understand the digital system, leading to delays, job losses, and denied boarding at borders.
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Vulnerability: The system disproportionately harms those with limited digital literacy, language barriers, and disabilities, increasing the risk that lawful residents could lose access to their basic rights—echoing the systemic failures of the Windrush Scandal.
Dr. Derya Ozkul, one of the study’s authors, stressed that the digital-only approach risks creating a “Digital Status Crisis” where control is prioritized over accessibility and fairness.
Data Gaps Hamper Informed Debate
Adding to the systemic concerns, a separate study from the University of Oxford’s Migration Observatory confirmed that significant gaps in official migration statistics are actively hindering informed public debate and policy decisions.
The think tank found it difficult to track key data points, including:
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The true size of the undocumented population in the UK.
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The exact impact of European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) cases on migration outcomes, a crucial issue as the government seeks to reform human rights legislation.
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What happens to asylum seekers who are refused but not removed from the UK.
Madeleine Sumption, Director of the Migration Observatory, noted that without a clear, comprehensive picture, policymakers are forced to make decisions “in the dark,” leaving the public vulnerable to misleading claims and complicating the pursuit of effective, evidence-based immigration reform. The combination of aggressive enforcement and systemic data and digital flaws paints a picture of a strained and often contradictory immigration system.700 701 702 703 704 705 706 707 708 709 710 711 712 713 714 715 716 717 718 719 720 721 722 723 724 725 726 727 728 729 730 731 732 733 734 735 736 737 738 739 740 741 742 743 744 745 746 747 748 749 750 751 752 753 754 755 756 757 758 759 760 761 762 763 764 765 766 767 768 769 770 771 772 773 774 775 776 777 778 779 780 781 782 783 784 785 786 787 788 789 790 791 792 793 794 795 796 797 798 799 800 801 802 803 804 805 806 807 808 809 810 811 812 813 814 815 816 817 818 819 820 821 822
