Modern Slavery, Immigration Regimes and Migrant Workers in Social Care

Abstract

There have been increasing reports of criminal elements (brokers and employers) taking advantage of desperate migrants since the introduction of the health and care worker visa in the UK in 2022. These reports fit broadly with dominant accounts of modern slavery and exploitation that often categorise migrants as ‘exploited slaves’ working in low-paying jobs and susceptible to the whims and caprices of employers and brokers. But the victimhood narrative is insufficient to understand the experiences of exploitation. Drawing on data from interviews with migrants on the health and social care visa in the UK, the study explores the interaction between individual experiences, immigration regimes and structural factors that lead to exploitation. The article argues that abuse and exploitation of migrant care workers are products of migration policies; and that the victimhood narrative does not reflect the complexities of migrants’ experiences as they seek to navigate state constraints on their freedom. In doing so, it addresses the gap between the lived experiences of migrants and policies or campaigns sensationalising their plights.