UK Eases Immigration Rules For Modern Slavery Victims To Change Employers

The United Kingdom Government has changed its immigration rules to allow recognised victims of modern slavery on Skilled Worker visas to leave exploitative employers and work elsewhere without risking their immigration status.

The UK Home Office announced the change on Thursday, saying the measure would prevent victims from being trapped with abusive employers because of their immigration status.

“No victim of modern slavery should be trapped with an exploitative employer because of their immigration status,” the Home Office said in a post shared on X.

It added, “From today, recognised victims on Skilled Worker visas can leave abusive employers and work elsewhere without risking their immigration status.”

The change is contained in the Explanatory Memorandum to the Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules: HC 584, 3 September 2026, published by the UK Government on its website on Thursday.

According to the memorandum, the Skilled Worker route “exists to allow people to work in a specific, sponsored job,” while visa holders “cannot normally take up other work if they are not working in the job they were originally sponsored to do.”

The document said the new changes to Appendix Skilled Worker lift that restriction for Skilled Workers “who are identified by the Home Office Competent Authorities as victims of modern slavery.”

It added that those recognised victims would be allowed to “work for any employer for the remaining duration of their existing permission.”

The exemption therefore applies specifically to Skilled Worker visa holders who have been identified by the Home Office Competent Authorities as victims of modern slavery, according to the memorandum.

The government said the change was designed to encourage victims to report exploitation sooner, stating that it would “incentivise victims to come forward early.”

It also said the measure would “guard against those who seek to weaponise the sponsorship system in order to exploit vulnerable workers.”

The new provision took effect on September 3, 2026, and allows qualifying victims to work for another employer for the remainder of their existing immigration permission, according to the Home Office.

SOURCE: PUNCH