Two to be deported after Home Office bust in Oxfordshire
Two of the individuals have been detained pending removal from the UK, while the third has been placed under strict reporting requirements
Last updated 9th Oct 2025
The Home Office has announced a series of enforcement visits across Banbury and Bicester, targeting businesses suspected of employing illegal workers.
According to the department, immigration officers conducted a day of operations at multiple locations following intelligence that suggested illegal employment activity.
Three women — Chinese and Thai nationals — were arrested during the visits.
Two of the individuals have been detained pending removal from the UK, while the third has been placed under strict reporting requirements at a designated Home Office location.
Banbury Authentic Massage and Mimosa Health and Body Centre were both issued with Civil Penalty Referral Notices.
The Home Office confirmed that further inquiries will determine whether the businesses are liable for civil penalties.
Employers found to have hired illegal workers without carrying out the proper right-to-work checks could face substantial fines.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “Illegal working undermines honest employers, undercuts local wages, and fuels the criminal industry of immigration crime.
"This government is determined to clamp down on that illegal activity in every sector where it occurs.
"Under this government, enforcement action nationwide has increased, with visits and arrests up by around 50 per cent on the previous twelve months, and we will be stepping up that action further in the year ahead.”
The latest enforcement activity is part of a wider government effort to strengthen immigration controls and deter illegal working across the UK.