If domestic abuse has ended a relationship connected to your UK immigration permission, you may have a way to seek help and change your status. The route depends on what permission you have or last had, your relationship to the sponsor, where you are now, whether a child is applying, and what you need immediately. The Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse Concession (MVDAC) is a temporary route for eligible people who need support; Appendix Victim of Domestic Abuse (VDA) is a separate route to settlement for people who meet its immigration and relationship conditions.
Safety and specialist support come first. If you are in immediate danger, call 999 if it is safe to do so. GOV.UK lists specialist domestic-abuse services, including services for migrants and different communities. Do not use a device, email account or immigration account that another person may monitor if doing so could increase risk. A support worker or regulated immigration adviser can help you find a safe way to communicate and check the current process.
MVDAC and VDA do different things
The immigration category matters
The rules changed in October 2026
First: get help in a way that is safe for you
You do not have to settle the immigration question before asking for help with abuse. The Home Office publishes a specialist domestic-abuse support directory. It includes organisations supporting migrants, children and people with particular language, disability, community or identity needs. If you are seeking asylum, the Home Office has a separate rights and support leaflet for asylum seekers; it directs people to Migrant Help and its support channels.
If another person can access your phone, email, documents, UKVI account or postal address, tell a specialist support worker or adviser before sending immigration forms or changing contact details. Home Office guidance tells caseworkers to help protect an applicant's UKVI account where someone else may control it. For account recovery or a suspected access problem, use the official UKVI contact service from a safe device or with support. A general web guide cannot tell you what is safe in your circumstances.
Two immigration routes with different purposes
When a relationship ends because a partner has died, the relevant immigration question may instead be the separate UK Bereaved Partner settlement route. Appendix VDA concerns relationship breakdown because of domestic abuse; the routes must not be conflated.
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| Route | What it may provide | Main boundary |
|---|---|---|
| Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse Concession (MVDAC) | For an eligible applicant, three months’ temporary permission to stay and the ability to apply for public funds while taking the next step | It is temporary, has its own eligibility conditions and does not automatically grant settlement. |
| Appendix Victim of Domestic Abuse (VDA) | Indefinite leave to remain in the UK or entry clearance for settlement from outside the UK, where the route conditions are met | The applicant must have or have last had permission in a specified immigration category and meet the relationship-breakdown conditions. |
The public MVDAC form describes applicants in the UK on a temporary visa as a partner or child whose relationship has broken down because of domestic abuse and who need access to benefits to support themselves. Home Office guidance also includes certain adult children aged 18 or over who were last granted permission as a child on a specified route. Some partners of people with work or student permission are covered, but a person whose own work or student permission is independent of the abusive relationship is not covered by that partner-based concession on that basis alone. Check the current concession form and guidance for the exact category; not every visa holder or every abuse survivor qualifies.
If MVDAC is granted, GOV.UK describes a three-month period of temporary permission and access to claim benefits. During that period, most recipients must apply for settlement under VDA if eligible, apply for another type of permission, or make arrangements to leave the UK. The published service treats people with pre-settled status differently in some respects; check its current instructions rather than relying on an older DDVC description. MVDAC used to be called the Destitution Domestic Violence Concession (DDVC).
The 2026 Home Office guidance also allows certain people aged 18 or over who were last granted permission as a child to apply to MVDAC in their own right. This is a separate eligibility assessment from being included as a dependent child on a parent's concession request. A grant can affect other immigration permission, so check the current form and obtain case-specific advice before applying.
MVDAC is not a prerequisite for every VDA application. VDA has its own validity and eligibility rules. A person may need to seek another route or advice if the sponsor/permission category is outside VDA or if a different status, including pre-settled status, is involved.
Appendix VDA: the settlement route
Appendix VDA allows a person aged 18 or over to apply for settlement where they have, or were last granted, permission in one of the specified categories and the relevant relationship broke down permanently because of domestic abuse. The rules cover defined partner and child permissions under routes such as Appendix FM and Appendix EU, family members of refugees, certain Part 8 categories, and specified Armed Forces cases. They also include people who received MVDAC after previously holding a qualifying permission. This is a route list set by the rules, not a general test based only on the abusive behaviour.
The relevant relationship may be with a partner, parent or a parent's partner. The rules also address abuse by another family member or abuse directed at a child in the household where that abuse caused the applicant's relationship with the sponsor to break down. For an application from outside the UK, the rules require the person to have been abandoned overseas and to have been physically present in the UK before that abandonment. GOV.UK asks for a personal statement about the circumstances and says supporting documents can be included if available but are not a prerequisite to applying. Do not delay asking for help because you do not have a police report or court order; get advice about the evidence and your situation.
What changed for adult children in October 2026?
The Home Office updated Appendix VDA guidance on 15 October 2026 to include some children aged 18 or over as main applicants. The Immigration Rules require a main VDA applicant to be at least 18 and to have, or have last had, a specified partner or child permission. For a child applying as the main applicant, the relationship test can concern a parent or the parent's partner; the relationship must have broken down permanently because of domestic abuse. Turning 18 does not itself create eligibility. The prior permission, sponsor/parent category, relationship and other current conditions still matter.
This is separate from a dependent child included on a parent's VDA settlement application. Dependent children have their own relationship, care, age and independent-life requirements. The public GOV.UK page says some children can be included with the parent's application; a child applying later or from overseas may need a separate form. Check Appendix Children and the live application instructions for the exact case.
Evidence, forms and location
The VDA rules and application route differ by location. GOV.UK directs in-UK VDA applicants to the online SET (DV) form. A person applying from outside the UK after abandonment uses the online Return to the UK form and must obtain entry clearance before travelling. Identity and nationality evidence, biometrics where required, and the applicable application-fee or fee-waiver process are part of the rules. GOV.UK currently says an in-country applicant usually gets a decision within six months after providing biometrics, but complex cases can take longer; check the live service for current timing.
The Home Office guidance describes evidence that can be considered, but individual circumstances differ and some materials may be unsafe or impossible to obtain. Keep only records you can safely access. A regulated immigration adviser can help identify which documents are relevant, whether a fee waiver may apply, how to make a statement, and whether the applicant's last grant fits a VDA category. Our UK immigration fee-waiver application guide explains the general in-country evidence and deadline process; the domestic-abuse route may have separate instructions. Do not submit documents through a device or account that may be monitored without first seeking safe support.
- 1Find a safe support contact — Use the GOV.UK directory or a trusted specialist service. If immediate danger is present, contact emergency services if safe to do so.
- 2Check the permission basis — Find the current or last grant letter, visa type and sponsor category if you can safely access them. Do not assume the visa label alone decides the route.
- 3Separate urgent support from settlement — Check MVDAC if you are in the UK and need temporary permission/support; check Appendix VDA separately if you may qualify for settlement.
- 4Check location and family members — Record whether the applicant is in the UK or was abandoned overseas, and whether children need to be included or make a separate application.
- 5Get regulated, case-specific help — Ask a regulated immigration adviser or solicitor to confirm the route, safe evidence handling, current form, fee-waiver steps and any deadlines.
If your immigration permission is based on a partner relationship that is continuing and you are dealing with a normal renewal, see our UK partner Family visa extension guide. If your sponsor has protection status and relatives are seeking to join them, see our UK refugee family reunion guide; that is a different task from an applicant whose own relationship has ended because of abuse. People in the asylum process should also check the UK asylum-claim process guide and the Home Office support information for asylum seekers.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to report domestic abuse to the police before asking for immigration help?
What does the Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse Concession provide?
Can partners of work or student visa holders use MVDAC?
Can an adult child apply for MVDAC in their own right?
Does getting MVDAC guarantee settlement under Appendix VDA?
Who can apply under Appendix VDA?
Can an adult child apply as the main VDA applicant?
Can my children be included in my VDA application?
Can I apply for VDA settlement from outside the UK?
Does Appendix VDA cover abuse by an in-law or another household member?
Do I need to have valid immigration permission on the day I apply?
Will VDA give me indefinite leave to remain?
What if I am seeking asylum or do not fit the listed visa categories?
Official resources
- Eligibility for settlement as a victim of domestic abuse
- Immigration Rules: Appendix Victim of Domestic Abuse
- Home Office: Appendix VDA caseworker guidance
- Home Office: MVDAC caseworker guidance
- Apply for the Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse Concession
- Apply for VDA settlement from inside the UK
- Apply for VDA settlement from outside the UK
- Children on a VDA settlement application
- Home Office: Domestic abuse specialist support services
- Home Office: Rights and support for asylum seekers experiencing domestic abuse
For urgent safety help, use the current GOV.UK specialist-support directory and choose a safe contact method. Immigration rules, forms and support services can change. This guide explains general route distinctions; it does not assess abuse, individual eligibility, child welfare or the safety of a particular action.