The Home Office has published an interim evaluation report examining what it terms as the UK's ‘compliant’ environment framework, which regulates access to work, benefits and services for individuals with lawful status. The framework comprises six areas: right to work, right to rent, public funds, access to health, banking, and driving licences. The interim report details significant changes including the February 2024 increases in civil penalties for illegal working to £45,000 per worker (up from £15,000) and illegal renting to £10,000 per occupier (up from £1,000). Its main findings are set out below.

The Home Office has added a message to the Sponsor Management System which states that from 6 April 2024 the Home Office is removing the requirement for sponsors to renew their sponsor licences. All licences due to expire after 6 April 2024 have now been automatically extended by 10 years (which will be visible on the licence summary page), but those who have a licence expiring before 6 April 2024 will still need to apply and pay for renewal and will not receive a refund of the fee.

The Home Office has announced the reopening of the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS) for new referrals. The announcement stated that around one in four referrals will be for Afghan women and girls and Palestinian refugees, with refugees identified and referred through established processes in partnership with the UN Refugee Agency and the International Refugee Assistance Project. Referrals have reopened immediately, with the first arrivals expected before the end of 2026. The government has also provided details of three new resettlement routes: community, student and work sponsorship models. Charities and non-profits will be able to apply in October 2026 to become sponsors under the community sponsorship route, while universities will be able to host refugee students under the student sponsorship route. First arrivals under both routes are expected in autumn 2027. Applications for companies to become sponsors under the work sponsorship route will open in spring 2027, with first arrivals expected later that year. The government expects combined arrivals under UKRS and the three new routes initially to number in the hundreds, with an annual cap to be set. Those arriving through these routes will be placed on a five-year path to permanent settlement.

The Home Office has laid a report before Parliament outlining proposed amendments to the Police Pensions Regulations 2015. The proposed regulations introduce a revised member contribution structure that will replace full-time equivalent pensionable earnings with actual pensionable earnings to determine the applicable contribution tier, effective from 1 April 2026. This change aims to ensure the Police Pension Scheme 2015 achieves the required average yield of 13.7% and align with HM Treasury’s cost-sharing requirements.

The Home Office has published a report examining worker and employer perspectives on illegal working and non-compliance with Right to Work (RtW) checking requirements among platform-based workers and businesses in sectors perceived to be at higher risk of non-compliance. Based on interviews with 24 platform workers, 19 businesses, 2 legal firms and 1 professional representative body, the research identifies account sharing, limited re-verification of existing platform accounts and informal networks as factors that may facilitate unauthorised working through digital platforms. Among businesses, non-compliance was generally attributed to operational pressures, informal recruitment practices, knowledge gaps and weak processes rather than deliberate avoidance. The report notes that, at present, prescribed RtW checks are required for employees, while planned legislative changes are expected during 2026 to extend checking requirements to certain arrangements involving workers providing services, including some parts of the gig economy.

The Home Office has announced that immigration enforcement officers arrested six individuals across five UK cities on 3 June 2025, including a 37-year-old Botswana national suspected of leading a people-smuggling operation relating to facilitating the illegal entry of more than 200 Botswana nationals. The gang is accused of using fraudulent documents to submit false asylum claims and placing migrants in illegal employment within care homes, thereby exploiting vulnerable individuals. These actions are stated to form part of the government's broader ‘Plan for Change’, which has already seen nearly 30,000 illegal entrants returned and a 40% increase in visits and arrests related to illegal working as against the previous year.

The Home Office has reported that the government will be changing the rules governing police officers’ disciplinary, vetting and performance processes in order to strength the police dismissals process. The Home Office has stated that the law change will ensure all officers are appropriately vetted during their service and that those who fail a re-vetting test whilst in post are sacked. Additionally, the Home Office has noted that a finding of gross misconduct will automatically result in a police officer’s dismissal, unless exceptional circumstances apply. Chief constables, among other senior officers, will also be given greater responsibilities to decide whether officers should be sacked, increasing their accountability for their forces, and will now chair independent misconduct panels.

The Home Office has reported that new visa compliance measures have led to a ten per cent fall in student asylum claims, following reforms introduced in 2024. The measures include more credibility interviews, tighter screening that raised short-term study visa refusal rates from 45 per cent to 68 per cent, and raised skilled worker visa refusals from 3 per cent to 21 per cent by June 2025. Additional steps include a first-of-its-kind direct messaging campaign to students approaching visa expiry, a government commitment to reduce the ability for graduates to remain in the UK after their studies on the Graduate route from two years to 18 months, and new visit visa requirements for certain countries. Additionally, nearly 10,000 students and dependants received student asylum compliance guidance last week, with more communications due in the coming weeks.

The Home Office has reported on the passing of new laws as part of an update to the Investigatory Powers Act 2016. The Investigatory Powers (Amendment) Act 2024 has received royal assent and has been passed to protect citizens from threats such as child sexual abuse and terrorism. The new laws include changing the bulk personal dataset regime to improve intelligence agencies' ability to respond to emerging threats, enhancements to existing safeguards to support the Investigatory Powers Commissioner in carrying out oversight of the use of investigatory powers, modification of the notices regimes to ensure efficiency in existing powers in the context of new technologies, increasing the resilience of warrantry authorisation processes allowing for greater operational agility for intelligence agencies and updating the conditions of use of Internet Connection Records to ensure effective use.

The Home Office has released new National Fraud Intelligence Bureau data revealing that individuals aged 18-39 account for 73% of rental fraud victims, with losses approaching £9m across 5,000 reported cases in the past year. In response, the government is implementing a two-pronged approach launching phase two of the 'Stop! Think Fraud' campaign whilst simultaneously rolling out the National Cyber Security Centre's enhanced two-step verification initiative. The Home Office is also developing an expanded fraud strategy and increasing pressure on technology companies to combat fraud on their platforms, with these matters to be addressed at the upcoming Joint Fraud Taskforce meeting. The data particularly highlights the vulnerability of young renters to fraudulent property listings, with 48% of victims aged 18-29 and 25% aged 30-39, prompting specific guidance against making payments prior to in-person property viewings.

The Home Office has announced that illegal working raids and arrests have reached ‘the highest level in British history’, following intensified Immigration Enforcement activity. Between July 2024 and December 2025, raids increased by 77% and arrests by 83%, totalling over 17,400 raids and 12,300 arrests nationwide, including 1,320 raids and 649 arrests in Wales. This surge, supported by a £5m funding boost, targeted sectors such as nail bars, car washes, and construction sites, and is stated to form part of broader reforms to deter illegal migration, expand right-to-work checks, and introduce mandatory digital ID for employment verification.

The Home Office has responded to the Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association and the3million regarding enforcement of Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) and permission-to-travel requirements for eVisa holders. It confirmed that all carriers operating direct flights to the UK will be integrated with the interactive Advance Passenger Information (iAPI) system by 25 February 2026, enabling automated checks for permission to travel. Extensive engagement has been undertaken with carriers worldwide, including those operating indirect flights, through webinars, guidance packs, and international forums. Carriers remain responsible for verifying identity and document authenticity and may request additional evidence such as share codes. Failure to conduct these checks can result in penalties under section 40 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. The Carrier Support Hub will provide 24/7 assistance to carriers, including verifying immigration status where eVisa issues arise, while the Passenger Helpline will not be reinstated; passengers must use GOV.UK services for status checks and updates.