Migrant workers facing exploitation in the UK will be able to leave abusive employers without automatically losing their immigration status under new Home Office visa changes.
From Thursday, Skilled Worker visa holders who receive a positive conclusive grounds decision confirming they are victims of modern slavery will be allowed to work for another employer for the remainder of their visa.
The change removes a post-Brexit rule that linked workers’ immigration status to a specific sponsor. The system, introduced in 2021 under Boris Johnson’s government, meant workers could risk losing their right to remain if they left an abusive job and could not quickly secure another sponsor.
Campaigners said some rogue employers had used the system to underpay workers, demand excessive hours and impose insecure working conditions.
The Salvation Army’s Maj Heather Grinsted welcomed the change, saying, “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.”
Work Rights Centre CEO Dr Dora-Olivia Vicol described the reforms as potentially transformative but warned that their impact would depend on how accessible the modern slavery framework becomes.
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, and have urged officials to free people’s visas from their employers’ control.”
Migration and Citizenship Minister Jo White said, “No victim of modern slavery should be trapped with an exploitative employer because of their immigration status.”
The changes come as scrutiny of the UK’s sponsorship system continues. More than 6,600 sponsors have reportedly lost their licences since Labour came to power, including over 4,400 in the year to June 2026, representing a 140 percentage rise from the previous year.
The new rules could give confirmed victims greater freedom to escape exploitation while maintaining their legal right to work in the UK.
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