Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Asylum handouts and accommodation removed for illegal migrants abusing Britain’s generosity, published on 5 March 2026, what information her department holds on the number of asylum seekers who are illegally working.

Home Office holds details of people claiming asylum who have been encountered during illegal working enforcement visits. This data only reflects those detected through enforcement activity and cannot be used to estimate the number of asylum seekers who may be working illegally more generally.

Once the changes announced on 5 March 2026 become law, if, following an investigation, there are reasonable grounds to suspect that an asylum seeker is working illegally, their support may be suspended or discontinued.