Policy paper

Immigration and Asylum Bill: Modern slavery

Published 8 October 2026

What are we doing?

The measures within the bill will seek to clarify the government’s interpretations of international obligations, reduce opportunities for improper use and embed essential protections for victims. They will go further in reducing the risk of exploitation – increasing expectations on businesses and strengthening enforcement powers.

Specifically, the bill:

• creates a power to devolve National Referral Mechanism (NRM) decision making for children to local safeguarding partners, building on the successful pilot to enable best outcomes for children by embedding their modern slavery identification decisions in the existing multi-agency safeguarding framework
• places modern slavery specific support provided by the Independent Child Trafficking Guardians (ICTG) on a statutory footing strengthening specialist additional advocacy and embedding support for exploited children across England and Wales – underpinned by the approval delivery of the national contract
• clarifies decision making processes, making clear what factors are to be considered as damaging to a person’s credibility
• makes clear where individuals can be disqualified from the modern slavery system on grounds of bad faith and public order
• removes the requirement to grant Temporary Permission to Stay (TPS) to confirmed victims for recovery purposes, in line with international obligations
• strengthens expectations on businesses and public sector organisations to report on modern slavery in their supply chains, with stronger penalties for non-compliance
• strengthens Slavery and Trafficking Prevention and Risk Orders by closing operational gaps for the Courts, widening the reach of law enforcement partners to apply for orders, and improving how they are monitored and enforced

These measures include caveats to safeguard against vulnerabilities – more details of which will be set out in guidance.

Collectively, the measures represent a strengthening of the system and implement commitments in the Restoring Order and Control policy statement, as well as the Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy with regards to children.

Why are we legislating?

The modern slavery system plays a vital role in identifying and supporting victims, but legal and operational challenges have reduced its effectiveness and, seen courts interpret the UK’s international obligations in ways that are not aligned with the intended operation of the National Referral Mechanism (NRM).

As with any protective system, there is potential for improper use, including late or improperly timed claims which can delay outcomes and place pressure on the system. By reducing opportunities for improper use, these reforms will ensure the system is fair, efficient and focused on identifying and supporting victims, and remove any unnecessary barriers to removal.

How will the bill achieve this?

The bill will strengthen the legal framework underpinning the modern slavery system by clarifying key elements of the decision making framework in legislation and setting out the government’s interpretation of its international obligations. It will support earlier identification; clearer decision making and will address opportunities for improper use. The measures will improve alignment with wider immigration and support systems, while maintaining protections for victims, including children, and strengthening law enforcement’s ability to tackle exploitation and disrupt offenders.

The bill will also strengthen expectations on businesses and public sector organisations to report on their activity to address modern slavery in their supply chains and introduce tougher penalties for non-compliance with reporting requirements, with fines of up to £1 million, and potentially much higher for the biggest businesses.

Key statistics

• In 2025, 23,407 potential victims of modern slavery were referred to the Home Office, the highest annual number since the NRM began.
• In 2025, 23,445 Reasonable Grounds decisions and 25,276 Conclusive Grounds decisions were issued. The number of Conclusive Grounds decisions was the highest on record and represented a 48% increase on the previous year (17,154).
• In 2014, almost two-thirds of cases involved exploitation that took place exclusively in the UK (62%) however in 2025, most cases involved exploitation that took place exclusively overseas (51%). There have been marked year on year increases in overseas exploitation since 2021, with 3,687 claims reporting overseas exploitation in 2021 compared to 11,973 in 2025 (a 225% increase).
• 34% (434) of returns that were arranged but failed to go ahead, involved a referral to the NRM after the return was arranged; this compares to 38% (207) over the same period in 2024.
• 76% (180) of cases which raised NRM referrals ahead of all charter flights with an NRM out of hours decision making service were raised between the hours of 3pm on the day prior to the planned removal to 6am on the day of planned charter removal; of the total number of referrals, 15% (36) were raised post-11pm.