UK expands immigration protection for modern slavery, abuse victims

The UK will expand immigration protections for victims of modern slavery and domestic abuse under changes to the Immigration Rules presented to Parliament on September 3, 2026.

The changes will allow Skilled Workers identified by the Home Office Competent Authorities as victims of modern slavery to work for any employer for the remaining period of their existing immigration permission.

Skilled Worker visa holders are normally allowed to work only in the specific job and for the employer linked to their sponsorship. The new provision will remove that restriction for recognised victims.


The Home Office said the measure is intended to encourage victims to report exploitation at an early stage. It also aims to prevent employers or others from using the sponsorship system to exploit vulnerable workers.

The rules will also extend eligibility for the Victim of Domestic Abuse route to adult dependent children.

The route currently covers spouses, partners and their children whose relationship with their sponsor has broken down because of domestic abuse, provided they entered the UK with a legitimate expectation of settlement based on that relationship.

Under the amendment, adult child dependants whose relationship with their visa sponsor has broken down because of domestic abuse will also be eligible to apply under Appendix Victim of Domestic Abuse.

The change follows a High Court ruling in Northern Ireland in JR337 Application for Judicial Review [2026] NIKB 12. The case involved an adult child who claimed to have been a victim of domestic abuse by a parent on whom they depended for permission to remain in the UK.

The ruling found that the Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse Concession was unlawful as applied to the applicant.

The Home Office said its legal advisers considered that continuing to exclude adult dependent children on routes leading to settlement could result in a successful legal challenge to the Victim of Domestic Abuse route on similar grounds.

The department also said dependent parents could be in an analogous position. The changes will therefore cover the two dependent groups that could be represented in the immigration routes covered by Appendix Victim of Domestic Abuse.

The Home Office estimates that extending the route could lead to between 163 and 447 additional grants each year. It said the overall impact would be modest and that the risk of increased abuse of the route would be manageable.

The changes relating to modern slavery victims and adult dependent children will take effect on October 8, 2026.

The government has not prepared a full impact assessment, saying the number of people affected is expected to be small.