Care workers, chefs, and others in danger of losing their migration status under post-Brexit rules if they leave an exploitative employer will be helped by new visa changes, the Home Office has announced.
Officials said if an employee is found to be a victim of modern slavery, they will be allowed to work for any employer for the remainder of their visa.
The migration status of people on skilled worker visas was tied to a sponsoring employer under a scheme introduced in 2021. It meant workers on that route, who have no recourse to public funds, risked having to leave the UK if they lost their job and could not quickly find a new sponsoring employer.
Campaigners have been warning that the rule was being exploited by rogue employers, who use workers’ precarious status to underpay them, force them to put in long hours, or force them into zero-hour conditions.
The Change
From Thursday, the restriction tying an individual’s immigration status to a specific sponsor will be lifted if they receive a positive “conclusive grounds” decision formally recognising them as a victim of modern slavery through the national referral mechanism — the UK’s framework for identifying and supporting victims of modern slavery and human trafficking.
The minister for migration and citizenship, Jo White, said: “No victim of modern slavery should be trapped with an exploitative employer because of their immigration status. These changes will give victims the freedom to leave abusive workplaces and rebuild their lives.”
The Response
The Salvation Army’s deputy director of anti-trafficking and modern slavery, Maj Heather Grinsted, said: “Allowing survivors to work for another sponsor for the remainder of their visa is a crucial way to help them rebuild their lives safely and with dignity.”
However, Dr Dora-Olivia Vicol, CEO of the Work Rights Centre, cautioned that while the changes “could be a game-changer,” the impact depended “on how accessible the modern slavery framework is.”
She added: “For almost three years we have warned the Home Office that the sponsorship system instituted after Brexit is a recipe for labour exploitation.”
The Scale of the Problem
Last week the Guardian reported that the number of employers being stripped of their licence to sponsor workers for abuses had hit record levels. More than 6,600 sponsors have been stripped of licences since Labour came to power. Of these, more than 4,400 were in the year to June 2026, a 140% rise on the year before.
Modern slavery can include abusive working and living conditions, withheld wages, deception, intimidation, threats, violence, controlled movement, or confiscated passports.
Where evidence of criminality is identified, sponsors will be referred to the police.
The Bottom Line
The UK Home Office has announced that care workers and other skilled migrants who are victims of modern slavery can now change employers without losing their visa. The change lifts the restriction tying immigration status to a specific sponsor for those who receive a positive “conclusive grounds” decision. Campaigners have long warned that the sponsorship system was being exploited by rogue employers. More than 6,600 sponsors have been stripped of licences since Labour came to power.
