The United Kingdom has announced a new immigration policy allowing recognised victims of modern slavery on Skilled Worker visas to leave exploitative employers and take up new jobs without risking their immigration status.
The UK Home Office announced the change on Thursday, stating that workers formally recognised as victims of modern slavery should not be forced to remain with abusive employers because of visa restrictions.
“No victim of modern slavery should be trapped with an exploitative employer because of their immigration status,” the Home Office said in a statement on its official X account.
Under the new rule, recognised victims on Skilled Worker visas will be permitted to leave abusive employers and work elsewhere while retaining their legal immigration status.
The policy has drawn positive reactions, particularly from Nigerians working in the UK’s care and support sector, where employer-sponsored visas are common.
An X user, @daddyhope, described the announcement as “good news for care workers,” noting that the policy could remove the fear of deportation allegedly used by some employers to control sponsored staff.
“From today, care workers and other Skilled Worker visa holders who are formally recognised as victims of modern slavery will be allowed to leave abusive employers and work elsewhere without risking their immigration status,” the user wrote.
While welcoming the move, some online commentators stressed the need for greater public awareness of the process for formal recognition as a victim of modern slavery.
The change is expected to provide critical protection for care workers and other sponsored employees who previously faced immigration barriers when trying to exit exploitative workplaces.
