The United Kingdom has announced changes to its immigration rules that will allow Skilled Worker visa holders formally recognised as victims of modern slavery to leave abusive employers and work elsewhere without putting their immigration status at risk.
The change could provide significant relief to migrant workers from Africa, particularly Nigerians, Zimbabweans and Ghanaians, who were among the nationalities behind the rapid expansion of Britain’s foreign care workforce in recent years.
The UK Home Office announced the change on its official X account on Thursday, saying recognised victims of modern slavery on Skilled Worker visas would be able to leave abusive employers and take up work elsewhere without risking their immigration status.
Under Britain’s Skilled Worker system, foreign workers are generally sponsored for a specific job by a Home Office-approved employer.
That relationship can leave migrant workers particularly vulnerable when an employer becomes abusive because changing employers ordinarily requires a new sponsor and an application to update their immigration permission.
