By Ghazali Ibrahim
The UK Home Office has announced a major immigration rule change allowing recognised victims of modern slavery on Skilled Worker visas to leave abusive employers without losing their legal immigration status.
The change, effective Thursday, September 3, means workers formally recognised as modern slavery victims through the UK’s National Referral Mechanism can work for another employer, in any occupation, for the remainder of their existing visa.
The move is expected to particularly benefit care workers and other migrant workers who have faced exploitation, including underpayment, excessive working hours, threats and other abusive conditions.
Migration and Citizenship Minister Jo White said no modern slavery victim should be forced to remain with an exploitative employer because of their immigration status.
Previously, Skilled Worker visa holders were generally tied to their sponsoring employer, meaning those who left abusive jobs risked losing their immigration status if they could not quickly secure another sponsor.
The government said it would also take action against rogue sponsors found exploiting migrant workers, with evidence of criminality referred to the police.
The Work Rights Centre welcomed the development but cautioned that its effectiveness would depend partly on how accessible the modern slavery identification and support system is.
