Kenton Solicitors reports that, effective 8 October 2026, Skilled Worker visa holders who receive a positive National Referral Mechanism decision confirming they are victims of modern slavery will no longer be confined to their original sponsoring employer. The Home Office has inserted new paragraph SW 18.3 into Appendix Skilled Worker to implement the change. Beneficiaries will be permitted to work for any employer, become self-employed or volunteer for the remainder of their visa—though professional sport remains restricted. The reform aims to remove a key lever of coercion that exploitative sponsors previously held over migrant workers. While welcomed by rights groups, the rule has narrow eligibility criteria and does not extend to settlement: applicants must still secure sponsorship if they wish to apply for indefinite leave in the future. Employers in high-risk sectors such as social care, hospitality and agriculture should expect closer scrutiny of labour-practices as the Home Office couples the new freedom with intensified sponsor-licence revocations. For global mobility managers, the main takeaway is that compliant employers may gain access to a previously immobile talent pool, but onboarding processes must verify that the individual’s conditions have been formally varied by UKVI. The Home Office is expected to publish operational guidance in early October; until then, affected workers are advised not to leave current roles without legal advice.
Source: Kenton Solicitors
