Sri Lankan Migrant Workers in the UK Fishing Industry: How a Two-Tier Visa System Allows Exploitation and Abuse

May 13, 2026   Reading Time: < 1 minute

Reading Time: < 1 min read

Sarah Barber

Research Intern at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies (LKI)

Abstract: This study examines the circumstances of Sri Lankans who migrate to work in the United Kingdom’s fishing industry. Under the two-tier transit visa system, many Sri Lankan fishers experience exploitation and abuse, which includes poor working conditions, wage theft,
document retention, physical and psychological abuse. This policy brief examines how the transit visa system institutionalizes inequality, perpetuates systemic exploitation, and undermines labour laws and ethical recruitment standards. It calls for urgent reforms to ensure
equal protections, transparent oversight, and pathways to justice for migrant workers who sustain the UK’s fishing economy, with recommendations for both the UK and Sri Lankan governments on how they can ensure they meet their human rights obligations towards Sri
Lankan fishers.