Immigration detention of survivors of trafficking and modern slavery

The Government has wide powers to detain people for reasons of immigration control. Those who are subject to immigration controls may be held whilst they wait for permission to enter the UK or before they are deported or removed from the country.  

Victims of human trafficking who are foreign nationals can be granted discretionary leave to remain if they are supporting police with their enquiries; are seeking compensation through a civil claim against their abuser; or their personal circumstances warrant a grant of leave to remain. Victims of trafficking can be detained in order to effect their removal if they have no leave to remain. However they would be regarded as vulnerable for the purposes of the Home Office’s adults at risk policy. 

There are no official statistics on the number of victims of human trafficking who enter immigration detention in the UK. The Government has said that the way in which data on victims of human trafficking is recorded makes it impossible to distinguish between those who have and have not spent time in immigration detention.