Statement of changes HC 584: sponsorship rules eased for modern slavery victims and return of Erasmus+

The latest statement of changes to the immigration rules has been published , accompanied by an explanatory memorandum and a ministerial statement . Skilled worker visa holders who are recognised as victims of modern slavery will no longer be tied to their exploitative sponsor, and the visitor and student routes are being adapted to accommodate the UK’s return to the Erasmus+ programme. A new SUI 11.4(e) is added to Part Suitability so that an applicant is also treated as having been in breach of immigration laws if they have previously acted to frustrate immigration controls as set out in SUI 11.7. A Skilled Worker’s immigration status is tied to their sponsoring employer. To address this, SW 18.3 is inserted to Appendix Skilled Worker: SW 18.3. They may work for any employer, including on a self-employed or voluntary basis, for the remainder of their visa. This brings the position for families in line with that already applying to people in immigration detention. The Home Office states that this reflects existing practice, and the rule change provides a legal basis for it. The explanatory memorandum states this is aimed at applicants (presumably Skilled Worker visa holders) who make a human rights application to extend their permission under section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971, then vary it to a non-human rights application afterwards. This reflects existing policy under the Immigration (Biometric Registration) Regulations 2008, which has not previously appeared in the Immigration Rules themselves.