Defend Domestic Workers Support the Amendment to Reinstate Their Rights

For too long, migrant domestic workers in the UK have been stripped of basic rights and protections. This predominantly female workforce, essential yet invisible, has been left exposed to exploitation, abuse, and modern slavery. Now, at last, there is hope: an urgent amendment to the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill seeks to reinstate the original Overseas Domestic Worker visa, restoring dignity and safety to thousands.

We must come together to demand that Parliament passes this amendment.

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What the Amendment Would Do​

The amendment, tabled by Baroness Hamwee, Baroness Lister of Burtersett, and Baroness O’Grady of Upper Holloway, would:

• Allow workers to change employers freely (within the domestic work sector), while requiring them to register the change with the Home Office.

• Give workers the right to renew their visa annually, provided they are still in employment and can support themselves without public funds.

• Permit family reunification, letting workers apply for their spouse or children under 18 to join them for the length of their visa.

• Offer a pathway to settlement, granting indefinite leave to remain after five continuous years of employment.

In short: it restores the rights migrant domestic workers had before 2012. Rights that protected them. Rights that worked.

 

The Problem with the Current Visa

Since 2012, the Overseas Domestic Worker visa has trapped workers in abusive conditions. The visa is tied to one employer and valid only for six months. If a worker flees abuse, they immediately become undocumented—losing their livelihood, accommodation, and legal status.

The numbers tell a shocking story:

• 40% of workers on post-2012 visas show trafficking indicators, compared to 14% before the changes.

• 73% do not have access to their passports, leaving them under their employer’s control.

• 64% have no private space or bedroom, a direct violation of dignity.

• Nearly 40% are not paid regularly, making financial exploitation routine

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The government claims workers can turn to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) if they experience abuse. But the NRM only helps after exploitation has already happened, and not all abuse qualifies under the narrow legal definitions of trafficking or slavery. Workers who fall outside this definition are abandoned to destitution or further exploitation.

 

A Proven Solution That Works

We don’t need to reinvent the wheel. From 1998 to 2012, the UK operated a visa system that worked. The original Overseas Domestic Worker visa gave workers rights to change employers and renew their visas, ensuring visibility to the Home Office and protection from abuse.

• It kept workers safe by giving them an escape route.

• It held abusive employers accountable because workers weren’t trapped.

• It allowed workers to contribute through taxes, visa fees, and legal costs.

National and international experts agree: reinstating the original visa is the best way to combat exploitation.

 

Why This Matters for All of Us

This isn’t just about one sector—it’s about the kind of country we want to be.

• Do we allow women—many of them mothers providing for families back home—to be trapped in abuse because of a broken visa system?

• Do we let exploitative employers operate with impunity while the state looks away?

• Or do we stand up for dignity, fairness, and justice?

The answer must be clear: no worker should be disposable, invisible, or voiceless.

 

Take Action Now

This amendment will only pass if we, the public, demand it. Here’s how you can help:

 

• Contact your MP and members of the House of Lords. Tell them you support the Overseas Domestic Worker amendment and expect them to back it.
   

• Share this message across your networks—social media, community groups, unions, and faith organisations.

 

• Stand with migrant domestic workers by amplifying their voices and joining campaigns led by groups like Kalayaan and The Voice of Domestic Workers.

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• Hold the government accountable—policies must protect, not endanger, vulnerable people.

 

Our Message to Parliament

Domestic workers are not slaves. They are mothers, sisters, daughters, and breadwinners. They clean our homes, care for our children, and look after our elderly. They deserve rights, protection, and respect.

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By supporting this amendment, Parliament has the chance to undo 13 years of harm and reinstate a system that worked.

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No worker should be tied to their abuser. No woman should be silenced by her immigration status. No family should be torn apart by unjust laws.

Stand up for migrant domestic workers. Support the amendment. Defend humanity.​​​​