The UK-based anti-slavery charity Unseen revealed that the same abuses previously seen in the care sector are now becoming common in the hospitality scene. Its helpline is experiencing a significant increase in calls from potential victims who took the skilled worker visa route.
In 2024, a total of 75 potential victims of modern slavery in the hospitality industry were reportedly on the skilled worker visas, higher than the record from the previous year, which was only one.
Combining the numbers between January 2024 and June 2025, a total of 485 possible victims reported to the Unseen helpline. Most of them were working in food and drink establishments, including those with jobs in catering companies, bars, takeaway stores and restaurants.
There are also 85 incidents recorded from holiday accommodations like hotels, campsites, motels and holiday lets.
These cases cover people under skilled worker visas and those other types of visas or worker status that the helpline can verify.
According to the report posted by LBC News, 'The same characteristics that have been evident in modern slavery in the care sector since 2022 have now become apparent in hospitality, with migrant workers experiencing many of the same abuses at the hands of their employers.'
'Key themes relate to a large disparity between what is promised to a worker and the reality once they arrive in the UK. Illegal fees are charged in exchange for visas and certificates of sponsorship; workers are commonly housed on site or in accommodation provided by their employer; workers are threatened with having their visas revoked or being deported,' the report added.
Modern Slavery Spills From Care to Hospitality
Figures released early this year claimed that thousands of care workers entered the UK in recent years through sponsors whose licences were later revoked. The estimated number suggested the massive scale of exploitation in the system.
Unseen Deputy Chief Executive Justine Carter said that 'the same characteristics' are happening in the hospitality sector. She added that there is a huge difference between what was promised to the foreign workers and what awaits them once they enter the UK.
Most of the victims were charged with lots of illegal fees, forced to live in substandard housing and threatened with deportation if they reported the abuse.
The charity also mentioned that some of the workers are in huge debt to people in their home country, while others are 'in a situation of debt bondage to their employer, paying off money owed incrementally through salary deductions.'
The victims may end up in situations where they barely have enough money to care for themselves and may find it hard to get out of instances where their employers will force them to work long hours without breaks or time off to pay off the debt.
The Government Acts
For the government's part, the crackdown against visa sponsors who abuse the immigration system is in full gear.
The government revoked 1,948 licences that let companies hire migrant workers in the country as part of its effort to fight exploitation of the border system and the rising migration.
In a statement, Minister for Migration and Citizenship Mike Tapp said, 'Those who abuse our immigration system must face the strongest possible consequences. We will not hesitate to ban companies from sponsoring workers from overseas where this is being done to undercut British workers and exploit vulnerable staff.'
'My message to unscrupulous employers is clear: these shameful practices will not be tolerated,' he added.
Meanwhile, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood vowed to look into the Modern Slavery Act after a 25-year-old Eritrean man had his deportation cancelled temporarily by the High Court to grant him some time to prove that he was a modern slave.
The Eritrean man arrived in the UK on a small boat on 12 August after his mother paid smugglers £1,000 (around $1,352) for his transportation.
During the asylum screening the following day, the man was asked if he was exploited, to which he answered 'no.' But just before his flight to France, he changed his answer and claimed that he was exploited in Libya and he was a victim of modern slavery.
The Home Office promised to appeal the High Court's decision.
'Last minute attempts to frustrate a removal are intolerable, and I will fight them at every step.' Mahmood said in a statement posted on Daily Express UK. 'Migrants suddenly deciding that they are a modern slave on the eve of their removal, having never made such a claim before, make a mockery of our laws and this country's generosity.'
She also mentioned that she will ensure that all vexatious last-minute claims will never succeed.
'We need to end the Human Rights Act for immigration matters and deport every illegal immigrant immediately upon arrival,' the Home Secretary added.
