Alarming Report Highlights Modern Slavery Risks in UK Visa Program 2025

A recent UK parliamentary inquiry raises serious concerns over the Skilled Worker visa system, warning that its employer‑tied sponsorship model leaves migrant workers highly vulnerable to modern slavery and exploitation. it does not know how many visa holders leave the UK when their visas expire or instead stay and work illegally. The inquiry uncovered widespread reports of debt bondage, excessive working hours, substandard conditions, inflated recruitment fees, and coercive practices—all exacerbated by migrants’ dependency on their employers for visa status.

The committee criticized the Home Office’s slow response and poor data collection, calling for urgent cross-department coordination, robust exit monitoring, and structural reform of visa regulations to better safeguard vulnerable migrant workers and prevent modern slavery.

What’s the Problem?

Over 1.18 million individuals have submitted applications to enter the United Kingdom since the Skilled Worker visa route was established . Many were recruited to address urgent labor shortages in sectors such as social care. However, the system’s structure, which affixes a migrant’s legal status to a sponsoring employer, has placed workers in an exceedingly precarious position.

Those who are mistreated or lose their jobs may be hesitant to speak out, as they are aware that their visa and, as a result, their right to remain in the UK, may be at risk. According to reports, this disparity in authority has resulted in:

• Debt slavery
• Working hours that are excessive and prohibited
• Fraudulent recruitment fees from agents located abroad
• Absence of assistance when employers forfeit their sponsor licenses

The PAC shocked the public by revealing that the Home Office lacks precise data on the number of these workers who have fallen victim to modern slavery, as well as whether those whose visas expire actually leave the country or enter undocumented status.

What the Committee Says?

PAC Chair Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP didn’t mince words:

“The safety of workers and the integrity of the visa system were both severely compromised by the government’s rapid opening of this visa route.” Nevertheless, fundamental data regarding the number of skilled workers who are either exploited or illegally residing in the United Kingdom has yet to be collected.

The Bigger Picture:

The UK government recently announced a controversial decision to cease the recruitment of care workers from overseas in order to decrease net migration. This decision was made just last month. But the PAC is apprehensive that this abrupt change could exacerbate the staffing crisis in social care, particularly as demand continues to increase in the future decade.

Instead of short-term fixes, the committee is urging the government to:

• Create a comprehensive, cross-government strategy to prevent exploitation.
• Monitor the timing and manner in which migrants depart the country.
• Prohibit the use of unregulated recruitment agents in foreign countries.
• Ensure that domestic workforce plans, such as NHS recruitment reforms, address these shortages without leaving any voids.

What It Means for Migrant Workers?

If you’re a current or prospective Skilled Worker visa holder, especially in the care sector, here’s what this means for you:

• It is possible that stronger scrutiny of your visa pathway is forthcoming.
• Unless you transfer sponsors through official channels, job mobility is restricted.
• The extent of protection in the event that one loses their sponsor remains uncertain.
• Recruitment of foreign nationals for care positions is anticipated to continue to be restricted in the future.

Check Also: UK Work Permits Without a Job Offer – How to Apply

References:

1. https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/127/public-accounts-committee/news/208184/govt-visa-changes-lost-sight-of-risk-of-exploitation-of-migrant-workers-pac-report-finds/.

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