Hundreds of people working in the UK’s bars, restaurants, hotels and campsites are suspected to be victims of modern slavery, some with debts as high as £30,000 after being “lured” by promises of a better life, according to a new report.
The charity Unseen said similar abuses evident in the care sector in recent years are now becoming apparent in the hospitality industry, with its helpline recording a sharp rise in potential victims linked to the skilled worker visa route.
Last year, 75 modern slavery potential victims in the hospitality sector were reportedly on these visas, up from just one in 2023.
Overall, between January 2024 and June 2025, there were 485 potential victims reported to the Unseen helpline working in food and drink venues, which can include takeaways and catering companies as well as bars and restaurants, and 85 in holiday accommodation such as hotels, motels, campsites and holiday lets.
These included people on skilled worker visas, and those on other kinds of visas, or workers for which visa information was not made clear to the helpline.
The report said: “The same characteristics that have been evident in modern slavery in the care sector since 2022 have now become apparent in hospitality, with migrant workers experiencing many of the same abuses at the hands of their employers.
“Key themes relate to a large disparity between what is promised to a worker and the reality once they arrive in the UK. Illegal fees are charged in exchange for visas and certificates of sponsorship; workers are commonly housed on site or in accommodation provided by their employer; workers are threatened with having their visas revoked or being deported.”
Figures published earlier this year suggested thousands of care workers have come to the UK in recent years under sponsors whose licences were later revoked, in estimates suggesting the scale of exploitation in the system.
Justine Carter, deputy chief executive at Unseen, said the hospitality sector is showing “the same characteristics” of exploitation first seen in the UK care sector in 2022.
She said: “There is a large disparity between what is promised to workers and the reality once they arrive in the UK.
“Many are charged illegal fees, forced into substandard housing, and threatened with deportation if they speak up.”
The report said that while employers are required to cover costs relating to recruitment, this is not always what happens, with “many employers” not only demanding migrant workers pay for their visas and certificates of sponsorship, but also charging them “exorbitant fees”.
The helpline has had examples of hospitality workers being illegally charged between £4,000 and £30,000 by their employers for so-called visa fees, with average debts at around £18,271.
Unseen said some workers are in debt to people in their home country but others are “in a situation of debt bondage to their employer, paying off money owed incrementally through salary deductions”.
People can end up in situations where they are left with little money to look after themselves, the charity said, and are unable to get out of a situation where some employers pressure them to work long hours without breaks or time off in order for them to pay off the debt.
Indian nationals were most commonly reported in modern slavery situations in hospitality, accounting for 40% overall, followed by Bangladeshi nationals, making up 13%.
While numbers of British nationals were low, the UK was in the top four across 2024 and the first half of 2025, with 17 modern slavery potential victims in hospitality across the two years.
Migration minister Mike Tapp said: “Those who abuse our immigration system must face the strongest possible consequences.
“We will not hesitate to ban companies from sponsoring workers from overseas where this is being done to undercut British workers and exploit vulnerable staff.
“My message to unscrupulous employers is clear: these shameful practices will not be tolerated.”
