It is a criminal offence for migrants to work illegally in the UK (for example, where they are breaching their conditions such as those on a visa or they have not been granted leave to enter or remain in the UK), including through self-employment activity. The offence of working illegally carries a maximum penalty of 51 weeks (England and Wales), or six months’ (Scotland and Northern Ireland) imprisonment and/or fine.

If you have permission to work as an asylum seeker, you must only work in a job that is allowed under your PTW conditions. If you have permission to work as part of a UK visa, you must only work as per those conditions. It is up to you as the visa holder to ensure you are compliant with your conditions of leave. If you work in a job that is not allowed, the Home Office may treat this as illegal working.

From 27 March 2026, illegal working is listed in the support rules as a reason the Home Office may suspend or stop asylum support.

If you have not been given permission to work, you must not:

  • engage in any form of employment, paid or unpaid, as this is a breach of your support conditions;
  • undertake work for cash-in-hand, informal work, or work arranged privately without permission as this is strictly prohibited;
  • provide false information to an employer, falsely present yourself as having permission to work, or use another person’s documents