Delivery drivers are being stopped on busy London roads to have their immigration status checked. Many work for hire from people with the accounts and other services. There has not been a bigger crackdown in the last three or four years. The migrant community is worried about this.

Deliveroo has dismissed over 100 riders in a crackdown on illegal immigration within its workforce. The London-based food delivery company terminated 105 workers for illegally sharing their rider accounts with undocumented individuals. The company revealed these figures after facing increased government scrutiny regarding the presence of illegal migrants among its employees. These migrants exploited Deliveroo's substitute system, where workers could operate under a registered account holder's name.

The abuse of this system has intensified political pressure on companies like Deliveroo, Just Eat, and Uber Eats. These companies were summoned before the Commons business and trade select committee last month to discuss employment rights. Robert Jenrick, former immigration minister and current shadow justice secretary, criticized the substitute system last year, claiming it contributed to illegal immigration and jeopardized public safety by allowing companies to bypass proper right-to-work checks. In response, Deliveroo and others have strengthened their controls to eliminate illegal workers.

Many delivery companies now require riders to periodically submit photos or videos, known as "selfie checks," to confirm that the person making deliveries is the same as the one registered to the account.

In a letter to the business and trade select committee last week, Deliveroo's director of policy, Paul Bedford, explained that the company had removed 105 riders since April 2024 due to their substitutes submitting invalid right-to-work documents. He clarified that any substitute rider must have their right-to-work status verified before completing orders with Deliveroo.

Home Office data shows that two out of five delivery riders stopped during random checks in April 2023 were found to be working illegally. Some asylum seekers crossing the Channel were discovered to be earning up to £1,500 a month from food deliveries while residing in government-funded hotels.

The crackdown on illegal delivery riders began under the previous Conservative government, but Labour has continued the efforts as part of its strategy to "smash" asylum gangs.

To reassure the Government, Deliveroo recently shared a report with Justin Madders, the employment rights minister, outlining its actions to address the issue. A Whitehall source noted that illegal immigrants working across the workforce remains a "concern."

A Deliveroo spokesperson stated, “Deliveroo has led the industry in taking steps to secure our platform against illegal working. We were the first to implement direct right-to-work checks, a registration process, daily identity verification, and additional device checks for riders, including substitutes. We take our responsibilities seriously and continue to strengthen our controls to prevent misuse. We urge the Government to ensure all major platforms adopt the same standards.”