Immigration action is being increased after it was revealed just 14 enforcement visits were made in Norfolk’s three biggest urban areas in 18 months.
The government said it was recruiting more staff and freeing up resources to allow immigration officers to go back to enforcement as part of its five-point plan to crack down on illegal migration to the UK.
There were six visits made by immigration enforcement teams to addresses in Norwich between January 2021 and July 2022, a freedom of information request has revealed.
The inspections involve visiting homes and businesses to check for breaches of immigration rules.
Great Yarmouth saw five visits while there were three in King’s Lynn - and none at all in 2021.
Earlier this year the government pledged to hire 200 new immigration staff and set up a taskforce to oversee enforcement activity with an initial focus on illegal working.
The Home Office said it had already significantly ramped up enforcement activity with 1,152 visits in the first five weeks of 2022 leading to 362 arrests and 92 illegal working civil penalties being issued.
Immigration minister Robert Jenrick said: “Illegal working causes untold harm to our communities, cheating honest workers of employment, putting vulnerable people at risk, and defrauding the public purse.
“Our immigration enforcement teams are working round the clock to bring those violating our laws to justice. It’s our priority to crack down on this crime and empower law enforcement to remove illegal migrants.”
Norfolk has seen a sharp rise in modern slavery cases, often involving exploitation of illegal workers.
Last year police launched investigations into car washes in Norwich, King's Lynn and Great Yarmouth while a couple were jailed for running an international sex-trafficking racket from their home in King’s Lynn.
In total between 2015 and the middle of last year there had been 80 immigration enforcement officer checks in Norwich, 36 in Great Yarmouth and 25 in King’s Lynn, according to the data released by the Home Office.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here