Skilled Workers who experience exploitation and modern slavery will get greater freedom to find alternative employment
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A new statement of changes to the Immigration Rules has been published today, introducing changes aimed at protecting Skilled Worker visa holders who have been recognised as victims of modern slavery, while also making it easier for the UK to participate in the Erasmus+ programme.
You can access the statement from here on GOV.UK. The 32-page statement (HC 584) is available here. The 15-page explanatory memorandum is available here.
The Migration and Citizenship Minister Jo White said in a written statement to Parliament that the changes will allow people who entered the UK on the Skilled Worker route but subsequently experienced exploitation to take up work in any occupation for the remainder of their existing visa. The Government says the measure is intended to reduce the risk of further exploitation and encourage victims to come forward.
As the minister also highlighted, amendments are being made to support the UK's re-entry into Erasmus+. They will expand the activities available to Erasmus+ participants in the UK, including study placements, training, traineeships and certain sports activities, with changes across the Visitor, Student and Government Authorised Exchange routes.
In addition, the statement of changes includes a number of other amendments. According to the explanatory memorandum, these include changes affecting families in the Family Returns Process, who will be able to raise Article 8/private life or family life claims directly with Home Office staff without making a formal valid application, paying a fee or using a specified form. The changes also amend the rules around fee waiver requests and biometric enrolment, including provisions intended to prevent abuse of the processes through repeated or varied applications.
A change to Part Suitability clarifies the circumstances in which an applicant can be treated as having breached immigration laws by previously acting to frustrate immigration controls. The explanatory memorandum says this means applicants in the UK who have previously failed to report for bail or absconded from bail or custody can now be refused on that basis.
The statement also makes a number of changes to the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS). These include provisions allowing some pre-settled status holders who no longer meet the EUSS eligibility requirements to remain in the scheme where it would not be proportionate to remove their status. The rules are also being amended in relation to first-time joining family members and the evidence that can be used when making an EUSS application.
Elsewhere, the five-year continuous residence requirement is being removed for eligible dependent children on the Hong Kong BN(O) route, allowing them to settle alongside their parents where the relevant requirements are met. The Student route maintenance requirement is also being increased in line with the maintenance loans available to home students for the 2026/27 academic year. The Victim of Domestic Abuse route is additionally being extended to adult dependent children whose relationship with their visa sponsor has broken down due to domestic abuse.
The changes take effect on various dates from 8 October 2026.
The minister's full statement is reproduced below:
Jo White
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Migration and Citizenship
Statement
My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary is today laying before the House a Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules.
Changes to Appendix Skilled Worker to support victims of modern slavery
The sponsorship system is designed to ensure overseas recruits have a genuine job to come to, will be paid appropriately, and can enjoy their employment rights. However, we have seen instances of Skilled Worker visa holders who entered the UK in good faith, complied with the terms of their visa and have experienced exploitation. This is simply unacceptable. Our crackdown on rogue employers continues and this includes taking action against sponsors who have exploited or enslaved their workers. To date, UKVI have revoked more than 7500 sponsor licenses, including 1800 in the care sector alone. But we recognise there is more to be done to ensure that victims are protected and supported by our Immigration system, as set out in the Immigration White Paper.
To ensure that victims of exploitation do not face further vulnerabilities, the changes we are making now allow victims who entered the UK legally and have been recognised as victims of modern slavery, to undertake work in any occupation for the remaining duration of the visa validity. This incentivises victims to come forward early and guards against those who seek to weaponise the sponsorship system in order to exploit vulnerable workers.
Changes to facilitate the UK rejoining the Erasmus+ programme
UK Standard Visitor Route:
I am expanding the provisions of the Visitor Immigration route to facilitate new short-term activities under the Erasmus+ programme, which the UK agreed to rejoin as part of the UK-EU Common Understanding package, at the UK-EU summit in May 2025.
I am introducing new changes to Appendix V: Visitor of the Immigration Rules to permit visitors under the Erasmus+ programme to study at UK state schools and academies. State-funded schools and academies will now be able to host Erasmus+ participants under short-term study placements for up to six months.
The changes to Appendix V: Visitor will also introduce new eligibility requirements and safeguards to ensure Erasmus+ participants are legitimate and, where necessary, have permission from their parent or legal guardian and their home institution to undertake Erasmus+ activities in the UK.
Additionally, to facilitate new activities stemming from participation in the Erasmus+ programme, I am introducing new changes to Appendix Visitor: Permitted Activities. All Visitors will now be able to partake in workshops, debates, and attend skills competitions.
A new section reserved for Erasmus+ activities will be introduced to the Appendix Visitor: Permitted Activities which will allow participants to undertake courses and provide or receive training, and undertake traineeships, all at UK based organisations and academic institutions. Erasmus+ participants may also partake in coaching and training assignments at UK based sports organisations through the Standard Visitor route.
Student Route:
To facilitate the wide array of activities being undertaken through the Erasmus+ programme, I will be introducing new changes to the UK's Student Immigration route.
I will be implementing new amendments to Appendix Student to allow Erasmus+ participants to undertake study activities at RQF level 2 and above or SCQF level 5 and above for Scotland. The changes made to Appendix Student will also exempt courses through Erasmus+ from the requirement that a course must lead to an approved qualification.
Additional amendments to Appendix Student will be made so that, where an Erasmus+ course includes a work placement, the course does not need to lead to an approved qualification and, for below-degree courses, the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies does not need to be assigned by a student sponsor that is not a probationary sponsor.
The study conditions set out in Appendix Student and Appendix Child Student will be amended to permit Erasmus+ participants to study at a state-funded school or academy, where the institution holds a sponsor licence and sponsors the Erasmus+ student.
I will be making further changes to the Student Sponsor licence arrangements to allow state-funded schools and academies to hold sponsor licences to sponsor inbound Erasmus+ students.
Government Authorised Exchange (GAE) visa scheme:
I will be opening a new scheme on the GAE Immigration route to facilitate eligible Erasmus+ programme placements. This will permit those entering the UK for the purposes of Erasmus+ to partake in a range of supernumerary work placements and internships as an Erasmus+ participant.
These changes to the Immigration Rules are being laid on 3 September 2026. The changes will come into effect on 8 October 2026, 29 October 2026, 30 November 2026, and 9 December 2026, as detailed in the Statement of Changes.