The Home Office has stopped applying the policy at paragraph 14.227 of its modern slavery guidance following a legal judgment, according to a notice added to the guidance on 17 July 2026.
Key facts
- Who: Not stated in the source. The guidance is written for first responder organisations, National Referral Mechanism (NRM) decision makers and support organisations
- From: Notice dated 17 July 2026
- Source: Modern slavery: how to identify and support victims
A notice added to the Home Office guidance Modern slavery: how to identify and support victims says the policy at paragraph 14.227 is no longer being applied. The notice says it was added following a legal judgment.
The guidance is written for first responder organisations, other organisations involved in identifying potential victims, decision makers at the NRM competent authorities, and organisations offering support to potential victims and victims of modern slavery.
This item reports only the withdrawal of the policy and the date of the notice. It does not set out what paragraph 14.227 says or name the judgment.
The same guidance page also carries these notices:
- Public order disqualification (POD) decisions. The page says these were paused from Tuesday 23 December 2025 and that it will be updated when more information is available.
- Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract (MSVCC) support. People with a POD decision made before 23 December 2025 under the Public Order Decision Making Framework (paragraph 14.275) can email the Single Competent Authority at nrm@modernslavery.gov.uk with "Public Order Disqualification Support Request" in the subject line. Support is subject to confirmation of NRM status. Where eligible, financial support is backdated under Annex F.
- Reconsideration policy. The Home Office is reviewing its policy for negative Reasonable Grounds and Conclusive Grounds decisions. The statutory guidance page, updated 15 October 2026, sets out an interim approach. Competent authorities may consider requests made outside the 30 calendar day time limit where there is a clear and obvious error, or where new evidence is provided with an explanation of the exceptional circumstances that prevented earlier submission.
What this means for applicants
The Home Office says the policy at paragraph 14.227 is no longer being applied. The notice does not say what, if anything, replaces it.
Related guide: Human rights UK visa
Sources
- Modern slavery: how to identify and support victims, Home Office, GOV.UK
- Reconsideration of negative Reasonable Grounds or Conclusive Grounds decision, Home Office statutory guidance, GOV.UK