The UK Home Office announced it will share the locations of hotels housing asylum seekers with Deliveroo, Just Eat, and Uber Eats to deter illegal work. This data sharing allows the companies to identify accounts exhibiting patterns suggestive of illegal activity, such as frequent activity near these hotels. Asylum seekers are generally prohibited from working during their first year in the UK or until their asylum claim is approved. The Home Office states this measure aims to prevent migrants from using delivery apps to earn money illegally and to stop account sharing.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper stated that illegal working "undermines honest business, exploits vulnerable individuals and fuels organised immigration crime," while Deliveroo, Just Eat, and Uber Eats affirmed their commitment to enhanced enforcement. This action follows a recent commitment by these companies to strengthen identity and right-to-work checks, resulting in the removal of thousands of individuals from their platforms. The announcement coincided with the government unveiling wide-ranging sanctions against 25 individuals and entities involved in illegal migration, including boat suppliers, gang leaders, and those facilitating fake passports. Foreign Secretary David Lammy called this a "landmark moment," although some experts, like Dr Madeleine Sumption of Oxford University's Migration Observatory, expressed skepticism about its effectiveness.

Impact Statement: The effectiveness of this data sharing agreement in curbing illegal work among asylum seekers remains to be seen, and its impact on broader illegal immigration patterns is debated.