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Guidance

Temporary permission to stay for victims of human trafficking and slavery: caseworker guidance

Immigration staff guidance on granting temporary permission to stay to victims of human trafficking and slavery.

Updates to this page

From:
Home Office
Published:
30 January 2023
Last updated:
18 September 2026
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  1. Addition of guidance on the application of ‘Reconsideration’.

  2. The policy with regards to individuals intended for removal to an ECAT and ECHR signatory country is no longer being applied.

  3. Notice has been added following legal judgement. The policy at section ‘reconsideration cohorts' is no longer being applied.

  4. Updated to amend the reconsiderations section.

  5. Changes to amend general information and reflect the amendments to the Immigration Rules Appendix Temporary Permission to Stay for Victims of Human Trafficking or Slavery to clarify the validity criteria.

  6. Wording changed to provide greater clarity on the application of public order disqualification in making decisions.

  7. Updated details about the temporary pause to decisions.

  8. 'Temporary permission to stay: considerations for victims of human trafficking or slavery' guidance has been updated.

  9. This update clarifies that we are pausing decisions that consider possible grants of Temporary Permission to Stay for Victims of Human Trafficking or Slavery (VTS) for individuals that are subject to deportation orders, until further notice. This is a temporary pause whilst we consider our approach.

  10. Guidance updated in relation to a VTS decision, and the process for individuals who wish to have their Modern Slavery Discretionary Leave (MSDL) decision reconsidered.

  11. Assessible (HTML) version of guidance added.

  12. Guidance updated throughout.

  13. Call out box on landing page and at the top of the (html) guidance document updated.

  14. Call out box added to explain temporary pause in decision making.

  15. Updated guidance amends general information and clarifies who is to be considered for a grant of VTS.

  16. This guidance amends information on the fee waiver process when applying for an extension of temporary permission to stay for confirmed victims of human trafficking or slavery (VTS), set out in the explicit withdraws, application process, and fee waiver consideration sections. It removes the qualifying for a fee waiver in extension applications section replaces the archived guidance "discretionary leave for victims of modern slavery". It also amends information on cancellation of stay.

  17. Guidance on the application process for making a fee waiver requests revised. Guidance on the policy applied in reconsiderations for cases decided under Discretionary Leave for victims of modern slavery revised.

  18. First published.

Documents

Temporary permission to stay: considerations for victims of human trafficking or slavery (accessible)

HTML

Temporary permission to stay: considerations for victims of human trafficking or slavery

PDF, 436 KB, 40 pages

Details

This guidance tells caseworkers about temporary permission to stay for confirmed victims of human trafficking or slavery (VTS).

It explains when it is appropriate to grant VTS to those confirmed as victims of human trafficking or slavery by the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), and what must be considered before making that decision.

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