By admin 
On a crisp morning in July 2022, 18-year-old ‘Budi’ stepped onto British soil for the first time, leaving the busy streets of Jakarta behind for the promise of a lucrative job picking fruit under the United Kingdomthe seasonal worker scheme.
Filled with hope for a better future, he imagined a life where hard work would lead to financial freedom. But little did he know, this journey would soon ensnare him in a labyrinth of debt and exploitation, forcing him to challenge the system he believed would provide him with opportunity.
Now 20, Budi is launching a case against the UK Home Office, claiming he is a victim of modern slavery after his experience with the seasonal worker program turned into a harrowing ordeal.
At 17, he dreamed of studying science at university when a friend introduced him to Britain’s seasonal worker scheme, which was launched in 2019 to tackle expected labor shortages. Brexit by recruiting non-European Union agricultural workers.
“My friend said I could work in Britain for two years on a seasonal worker visa, and I thought it would be an investment in my future,” Budi told This Week in Asia, using an alias to protect his identity .
“I thought that if I worked for two years, I could pay off all my debts in the first year and save all my money in the second year before returning to Indonesia.”
Budi says he spent more than $5,400 to reach Britain, much of it thanks to loan sharks. Photo: Handout