Should there be compulsory ID cards? A new study has found almost one in seventy people across the UK may be in the country illegally. Some say it is time for drastic measures.
Up to one in 12 illegally in London
Food for thought: Two in every five delivery riders stopped in random checks in April 2023 were working illegally, according to Home Office statistics. Riders are freelancers, so companies do not have to legally check their right to work. Glossary
Thames Water - A private company responsible for supplying water to and treating waste water from Greater London and some other areas.
Visa - An official document permitting someone to legally enter and stay in a country.
Overstayed - Someone who has stayed longer in a place than they are allowed to. Often a tourist or student visa will allow someone to stay in a country for a number of months or years, but they then must leave or change to a new visa.
Asylum - When a state agrees to shelter somebody who is fleeing dangerous circumstances. The right to asylum is protected in international law by the 1951 Refugee Convention.
Public services - Services the government or an official body provides. In the UK, for example: health care, waste removal, transport infrastructure.
Far-Right - The extreme right wing of a political party or group, favouring free enterprise, private rather than state ownership and traditional values.
Xenophobia - Literally 'fear of strangers' (in Greek), but the word is often used to refer to hatred or mistrust of foreigners as well as fear.
Gig economy - A way of working based on temporary jobs or casual part-time work rather than permanent jobs.
Modern slavery - When an individual is exploited by others for personal or commercial gain. They can be tricked, coerced or forced to lose their freedom. Sometimes modern slavery involves human trafficking and often forced labour.
Trafficked - When people are bought and sold, often to become slaves or forced workers.
Tony Blair - Tony Blair was the leader of the Labour party. He was British prime minister from 1997 to 2007.
Windrush scandal - A UK political scandal concerning people who were wrongly denied rights, threatened with deportation or deported. Many of them were people from Caribbean countries who had arrived in the UK as part of the Windrush generation, named after HMT Empire Windrush ship that arrived in England from Jamaica in 1948.