Skilled Worker visa: slavery victims can now leave sponsor

What changed on 9 October

The Home Office announced the change on 9 October 2026. From that date, victims of modern slavery on Skilled Worker visas are free to leave abusive employers without risking their immigration status. Once a person is formally recognised as a victim of modern slavery, they are no longer tied to a specific sponsor and can take up any lawful work for the rest of their visa. The Home Office says victims can leave an abusive sponsor as soon as they are recognised by the Home Office.

The new freedom applies for the remainder of the visa period. It means a recognised victim is not required to remain with their original sponsor. Instead, any lawful work is permitted, and the person can move to a different employer without the threat of losing their status. The Home Office describes the change as removing the link between a recognised victim and the sponsor that employed them. The policy applies across the Skilled Worker route, and the Home Office says it will help workers including care workers. The announcement was made on 9 October 2026, and the new arrangements take effect from that date.

Why the old rules trapped workers

Until now, victims who left an abusive sponsor risked losing both their immigration status and their income, because Skilled Worker visa holders have no recourse to public funds. That combination meant a worker who escaped an abusive employer could face the loss of the right to remain in the UK and the loss of the wages needed to live. The Home Office says the previous position left victims tied to the sponsor, even where the sponsor was the source of the abuse.

The absence of recourse to public funds meant there was no fallback income for a Skilled Worker visa holder who left a sponsor. A worker who left could therefore face destitution as well as the loss of their immigration status. The Home Office says the change addresses this by allowing recognised victims to leave an abusive sponsor as soon as they are recognised, and to take up any lawful work for the rest of their visa. The department says the new rules remove the risk to immigration status that previously attached to leaving an abusive sponsor.

Who the change helps

The Home Office says the change will help workers across the Skilled Worker route, including care workers. The department gave the example of a victim who paid an agency 20,000 pounds for what she believed was stable, full-time care work. In that example the sponsor demanded 400 pounds 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 pounds a month.

The example illustrates the financial position described by the Home Office, in which a worker paid a large sum for a job and then faced monthly demands to keep the visa active, while receiving little or no work and low pay when work was provided. The Home Office says the new rules allow a recognised victim to leave an abusive sponsor and to work for any employer for the rest of the visa. The department says this applies across the Skilled Worker route, including care workers, and that victims can leave as soon as they are recognised by the Home Office.

Sponsor licences revoked: over 4,400 in a year

More than 6,600 sponsors have been stripped of their licence to hire overseas workers since the current government came to power, according to the Home Office. Over 4,400 of those licences were revoked in the year ending June 2026, a 140% rise on the year before and the highest level on record. The figure of over 4,400 covers revocations in that 12 month period.

The Home Office says that where evidence of criminality is identified, sponsors will be referred to the police. The revocation figures and the referral policy sit alongside the change for recognised victims of modern slavery on Skilled Worker visas. The Home Office says the change will help workers across the Skilled Worker route, including care workers, and that victims can leave an abusive sponsor as soon as they are recognised. The department also says recognised victims are no longer tied to a specific sponsor and can take up any lawful work for the rest of their visa.

What campaigners and the government said

The Immigration White Paper committed the government to making it easier for sponsored workers to change employer. The Home Office announced the change for recognised victims of modern slavery on 9 October 2026. The Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, Eleanor Lyons, welcomed the change and said she had consistently called for sponsored workers to be able to leave exploitative employers without jeopardising their immigration status.

The Salvation Army also welcomed the change, saying that allowing survivors to work for another sponsor for the remainder of their visa helps them rebuild their lives. The Home Office says victims can leave an abusive sponsor as soon as they are recognised by the Home Office, and that once formally recognised they are no longer tied to a specific sponsor and can take up any lawful work for the rest of their visa. The department says the change will help workers across the Skilled Worker route, including care workers. More than 6,600 sponsors have been stripped of their licence to hire overseas workers since the current government came to power, according to the Home Office, with over 4,400 of those licences revoked in the year ending June 2026, a 140% rise on the year before and the highest level on record. Where evidence of criminality is identified, sponsors will be referred to the police, the Home Office says.

Source: Home Office news story, 9 October 2026.

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Frequently asked questions

When did the change take effect?

The Home Office announced the change on 9 October 2026, and it applies from that date.

Who does the change apply to?

It applies to victims of modern slavery on Skilled Worker visas who are formally recognised by the Home Office.

What can a recognised victim do under the new rules?

Once formally recognised, they are no longer tied to a specific sponsor and can take up any lawful work for the rest of their visa. The Home Office says victims can leave an abusive sponsor as soon as they are recognised.

Why did the old rules trap workers?

Until now, victims who left an abusive sponsor risked losing both their immigration status and their income, because Skilled Worker visa holders have no recourse to public funds.

How many sponsor licences were revoked?

More than 6,600 sponsors have been stripped of their licence to hire overseas workers since the current government came to power, according to the Home Office. Over 4,400 of those licences were revoked in the year ending June 2026, a 140% rise on the year before and the highest level on record.