From 9 October 2026, people on Skilled Worker visas who are formally recognised by the Home Office as victims of modern slavery are no longer tied to a specific sponsor and can take up any lawful work for the remainder of their visa, the Home Office announced that day. Previously, Skilled Worker visa holders had no recourse to public funds, so those who left an abusive sponsor risked losing both their immigration status and their income.

The department cited one victim who paid an agency £20,000 for what she believed was stable care work; her sponsor demanded £400 a month to keep her visa active while providing little or no work, and when work came she was paid as little as £200 to £300 a month. Migration minister Jo White said the change would give victims freedom to leave abusive workplaces, while rogue sponsors would face the law. The Home Office said more than 6,600 sponsors had been stripped of their licences since the government came to power, including over 4,400 in the year ending June 2026, a 140% rise on the year before.

Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner Eleanor Lyons and the Salvation Army's Major Heather Grinsted welcomed the change.