Anti-Slavery International is deeply concerned about the UK Government’s earned settlement proposal and the recent announcement from the Home Secretary that would reduce refugees’ status from five years to 30 months, and the impact this may have on modern slavery survivors. By increasing insecurity around immigration status, the UK is playing into the hands of modern slavery perpetrators. Such policies limit survivors’ access to education or work, which makes them unable to rebuild their lives and ultimately increases the risk of exploitative recruitment. Ongoing insecurity about their ability to remain in the UK will only deepen this risk and create an environment where survivors are afraid to disclose their exploitation, as they risk falling out of their regular immigration status.
This is a continuation of the hostile environment that the Labour Government and its predecessor have created for migrants in the UK and will ultimately heighten the risk of exploitation for many people seeking sanctuary, including survivors of modern slavery.
We urge the UK Government to prioritise safeguarding over this hostile approach.
Many people seeking asylum are also survivors of modern slavery. The change in duration of refugee status, effective from 2 March 2026, combined with the possibility of refugees’ removal to their country of origin “if deemed safe,” following the 30-month leave, will have significant consequences for people rebuilding their lives after trauma by increasing vulnerability to exploitation, as well as fear of authorities.
Evidence consistently shows that insecure immigration status limits survivors’ ability to rebuild their lives, secure employment, and study, and makes them more vulnerable to exploitation. Reducing the length of refugee status will increase long-term insecurity and may create or exacerbate existing vulnerabilities that survivors face.
The upcoming changes also fail to consider how an insecure immigration status can be actively exploited by perpetrators of modern slavery. Perpetrators routinely use the threat of detention and removal to control and manipulate victims, keeping them trapped in exploitation.
In a context where immigration-related offences are being escalated, and people seeking safety or who are trafficked to the UK are increasingly criminalised for their mode of arrival, the fear of legal consequences further discourages potential victims from seeking help.
The Home Office must reverse its decision to reduce the grant of refugee status. We urge the government to meaningfully consult and engage with civil society organisations, lived experience experts, and the wider sector ahead of introducing changes of this nature. It is concerning that the current reduction in the length of refugee status has been implemented through amendments to existing rules, without parliamentary scrutiny or public consultation.
To truly tackle modern slavery, it must adopt a genuinely preventative approach by upholding its obligations under international and domestic law and by placing the rights and well-being of individuals at the centre of its decision-making.