New legal hub for organisations supporting sponsored migrant workers
For almost two years charities, journalists, and other experts have shown that the work migration system instituted in the UK after Brexit is putting people at risk of exploitation. While the risks for migrant workers are well-documented, the remedies remain difficult to access, not least due to the complex intersection of immigration, employment, and other areas of law.
We are launching a new legal hub to support organisations working with sponsored migrant workers. From February 2025 with support from the Baring Foundation, we will offer practical training sessions for frontline advisers supporting sponsored workers, and run a strategic legal action group that will challenge the exploitative system as a whole. Read on for how to join.
Training for frontline staff
Frontline professionals supporting migrant workers who were exploited by their visa sponsors will be all too familiar with the complexity of their needs, and the challenge of providing holistic advice. To give but one example, a consultation about finding new employment almost always requires a level of immigration advice. This often then dovetails into questions about entitlement to wages, which sit within employment law, or revelations of threats and intimidation by the sponsor, related to criminal law. But while most advisers recognise the value of interdisciplinary expertise, few frontline organisations have the resources to provide it.
We are starting a training programme that responds to this need.
Format. For the next couple of years, we will run a series of expert-led online sessions aiming to support attendees to better diagnose, advise, and refer migrant workers exploited by their sponsors.
This includes sessions on:
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Work sponsorship: rules, risks, and the government’s response
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Immigration advice for sponsored migrant workers
- Using public law to challenge delays and negative decisions
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Employment tribunal claims for sponsored migrant workers
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Remedies accessible through civil claims
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Support for victims of trafficking and modern slavery
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Spotting and reporting criminal behaviour by sponsors
About the experts. Each session will be delivered by a subject expert who specialises in that area of advice. This includes solicitors from the Work Rights Centre and our partners across the legal advice sector, enforcement agencies and experts in corporate violations.
Who can register. The training is for frontline professionals who support migrant victims of exploitation. This is primarily aimed at charities, voluntary groups, and local authorities, but ethical recruiters and employer associations may apply.
Costs. The training is free for small non-profit organisations with fewer than 10 FTE members of staff, and for organisations led by black and ethnic minorities who centre their work on racial equity. A subsidised £75/session fee applies for non-profits with fewer than 15 FTE members of staff, and a full £150/training fee applies for larger or for-profit organisations. Discounts apply for multiple bookings. Please send an email to contact@workrightscentre.org for more information on pricing.
How to register. You can sign up for the first session on Eventbrite. For upcoming sessions, complete the expression of interest below to be the first to learn when new sessions are scheduled and added to the programme.
Strategic legal action group
We invite organisations that provide high-quality legal advice to join our strategic legal action group. The aims of the group are to:
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Share examples of emerging legal strategies, that have the potential to open up new remedies for migrant workers, or to challenge the systemic risks inherent in the work-migration system;
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Enable cross-sector contributions to strategic legal cases;
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Enable cross-sector contributions to policy consultations.
Format. We propose that the group begins to meet from March 2025, with an in-person initial meeting in London (travel subsidised) followed by shorter, agenda-led online meetings - though members’ feedback and suggestions are most welcome.
How to join. We are currently reaching out to organisations that have a track record of legal casework in this space. If you’d like to join, write an email to Luke Piper, our Head of Immigration, at luke.piper@workrightscentre.org
About this project
We are grateful to the Baring Foundation for financing this project and supporting us to use the law to achieve social change.