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.

Documents

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.

As of 27 August 2024 decisions that consider granting temporary permission to stay for victims of human trafficking or slavery (VTS) under the following circumstances have resumed:

  • enabling the person to seek compensation in respect of the exploitation
  • enabling the person to co-operate with a public authority in connection with an investigation or criminal proceedings relating to the exploitation
  • where individuals already have permission to stay in the UK in another category

Decisions that consider grants of VTS where there is a need to assist in recovery from physical or psychological harm relating to the victim’s experience of exploitation are paused until further notice.

Updates to this page

Published 30 January 2023
Last updated 27 August 2024 + show all updates
  1. Call out box on landing page and at the top of the (html) guidance document updated.

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

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

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. First published.

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