Victims freed from abusive employers under new visa rules

From today, victims of modern slavery on Skilled Worker visas will be free to leave abusive employers without risking their immigration status. 

Once an individual is formally recognised as a victim of modern slavery, they will no longer be tied to a specific sponsor and can take up any lawful work for the rest of their visa.

Until now, victims who left an abusive sponsor risked losing both their immigration status and their income, as Skilled Worker visa holders have no recourse to public funds.  

This change ends that choice, delivering what victims and anti-slavery campaigners have long called for. It means workers can leave abusive employers without risking destitution, helping them support themselves and rebuild their lives. 

It will help workers across the Skilled Worker route, including care workers and others who came to the UK in good faith but were exploited by rogue employers. 

One victim paid an agency £20,000 for what she believed was stable, full-time care work. Instead, her abusive sponsor demanded £400 a month just to keep her visa active, while providing little or no work.  

For months, she struggled to pay rent and support her family, facing repeated threats that her visa would be cancelled. 

When work finally came, she was paid as little as £200 to £300 a month, a fraction of what she had been promised.

From today, modern slavery victims like her will be able to leave abusive sponsors as soon as they are recognised by the Home Office, take up lawful work and start rebuilding their lives. 

Minister for Migration and Citizenship, Jo White, said:   

No one should have to endure the exploitation experienced by victims like this.  

Today’s changes will give victims the freedom to leave abusive workplaces, rebuild their lives and move on from the trauma of exploitation. 

While we support victims, we are also going after those responsible. Rogue sponsors who exploit workers will face the full force of the law.