diff --git a/Slim/Http/UploadedFile.php b/Slim/Http/UploadedFile.php
index 1fd0e9ae4..01320bcd3 100644
--- a/Slim/Http/UploadedFile.php
+++ b/Slim/Http/UploadedFile.php
@@ -26,9 +26,11 @@ class UploadedFile implements UploadedFileInterface
     /**
      * The client-provided full path to the file
      *
+     * @note this is public to maintain BC with 3.1.0 and earlier.
+     *
      * @var string
      */
-    protected $file;
+    public $file;
     /**
      * The client-provided file name.
      *