Key points at a glance
- At Reeds Solicitors LLP, our Immigration Law team can advise and represent you sensitively and confidentially on the Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse Concession and the related route to settlement.
- We can assess your eligibility, help you gather evidence in a way that reflects your circumstances, and support you through the application process.
- Our Immigration Solicitors are ranked highly in the Legal 500 2026 and Chambers and Partners 2026.
The Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse Concession (MVDAC) gives people whose immigration status depends on a relationship a safe way to leave an abusive partner without immediately losing their right to remain in the UK. It recognises that someone in this position may feel trapped, worried that reporting abuse or ending the relationship will mean losing their home, their income, and their status in the UK all at once. The concession is designed to remove that barrier by providing short-term permission to stay and access to support while a longer-term application is prepared.
This is a sensitive area of law, and every case is different. Our team approaches these matters with care, and we work at a pace that reflects each client’s individual circumstances and safety needs.
Who can apply for the MVDAC?
The MVDAC is available to people who are in the UK on a partner visa, and whose relationship has broken down because of domestic abuse. Following changes introduced in 2024, the concession was expanded and now also covers partners of people on work, student, or graduate visas, and their dependants, who have experienced domestic abuse. Unlike the previous version of this concession, it is no longer necessary to show that you are destitute in order to apply. This was a significant change, since many victims of domestic abuse had previously found it difficult to access support because they were not in a position of complete financial hardship at the point they needed help.
Domestic abuse for the purposes of this concession is defined broadly, and can include physical, sexual, psychological, emotional, or financial abuse. It is not limited to abuse from a partner directly and can, in some circumstances, extend to abuse from other family members within the household.
What the concession provides
If your application under the MVDAC is successful, you will normally be granted permission to stay in the UK for three months. During this period, you will also be able to apply to claim benefits to support yourself, which you would not otherwise be entitled to on most temporary visas. Successful applicants are also, generally granted permission to work, or usually be given permission to work during the three-month period which can provide important financial stability while you consider longer term options and make arrangements for your future.
The three-month period is intended to give you the stability and breathing space to plan your next steps, whether that means applying for a longer-term immigration status, seeking practical support, or, in some cases, making arrangements to leave the UK if that is your choice.
What happens after the three months
During the three-month period of permission granted under the MVDAC, you generally need to do one of the following:
- Apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain as a victim of domestic violence or abuse under the immigration rules (Appendix Victim of Domestic Abuse, sometimes referred to as Appendix VDA)
- Apply for a different type of permission to stay if that is more appropriate to your circumstances, or;
- Make arrangements to leave the UK.
It is important to understand that the settlement route under Appendix VDA is not available in every case. The MVDAC is available to certain people in the UK whose immigration status is dependent on a relationship that has broken down because of domestic abuse. The concession was expanded in February 2024 and now covers a wider range of dependant partners, including many partners of people on work and study routes. This is important when it comes to determining what happens after the initial three-month period and it is one of the reasons it is worth getting advice before, or as early as possible after making an MVDAC application.
If you already have pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you do not automatically lose access to benefits when your MVDAC permission ends, but you should still apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain within the three-month period if that is the right route for you, to protect your access to benefits going forward.
Contact:
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How Reeds Solicitors can help
Domestic abuse cases involve more than an immigration application. They involve someone at a vulnerable and often frightening point in their life needing clear, practical, and compassionate advice about what their options are and what will happen next. We understand the sensitivity of these cases and the importance of getting the right advice quickly.
At Reeds Solicitors, we work closely with you to understand your situation, explain the options available under the current rules, and help you prepare an application that reflects the evidence available, however that evidence is best gathered given your circumstances.
We assess whether you qualify for the MVDAC based on your current visa category and the nature of the abuse you have experienced, including whether the 2024 expansion to work, student, and graduate route partners applies to your situation.
We help prepare the MVDAC application, advising on the evidence that supports the application and how best to present your circumstances. We understand that gathering evidence in these situations can be difficult and work at a pace that is manageable for you.
There is no single type of evidence required to prove domestic abuse. Depending on your circumstances, evidence may come from the police, medical professionals, social services, support organisations, family members, or other sources. Every case is different, and the absence of a criminal conviction does not automatically prevent an application from succeeding.
We advise clearly on what options will be available once the three-month period begins, including whether an application for settlement under Appendix VDA is realistically open to you, or whether a different route needs to be considered instead. Understanding this early helps avoid difficult decisions being made under time pressure.
Where settlement as a victim of domestic abuse is available, we prepare and manage the Indefinite Leave to Remain application, helping to compile the necessary evidence of the relationship and the abuse experienced.
Where appropriate, we can also help connect clients with specialist domestic abuse support services, alongside the immigration advice we provide, recognising that immigration status is often only one part of what someone in this situation needs help with.
Frequently Asked Questions
The MVDAC is a Home Office concession that provides short-term immigration permission and access to benefits for certain people whose relationship has broken down because of domestic abuse. It gives temporary stability, normally for three months, while a longer-term application is prepared.
No, following changes to the concession, it is no longer necessary to show that you are destitute in order to apply. This was a deliberate change to make the concession accessible to more people experiencing domestic abuse.
The concession is available to people in the UK on a partner visa whose relationship broke down because of domestic abuse. It was expanded in 2024 to also cover partners of people on work, student, or graduate visas, and their dependants, who have experienced domestic abuse.
Domestic abuse is defined broadly and can include physical, sexual, psychological, emotional, or financial abuse. It is not limited to abuse by a partner and can, in some circumstances, extend to abuse from other family members in the household.
No. Domestic abuse can be evidenced in a variety of ways and there is no requirement for a criminal conviction or police prosecution. The evidence available will depend on your personal circumstances, and different forms of supporting evidence may be used to demonstrate what has happened
During the three-month period, you generally need to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain as a victim of domestic abuse under Appendix VDA if that route is available to you, apply for a different type of permission if more appropriate, or make arrangements to leave the UK. What is realistically available depends on your specific visa history, so it is important to get advice early.
Not necessarily. Following the 2024 reforms, partners of people on work, student, or graduate visas who use the MVDAC are not eligible for settlement under the Domestic Violence Indefinite Leave to Remain rule in the same way as partners of settled or British citizens. This is an important distinction and one that should be understood before deciding on next steps.
Yes. If your MVDAC application is successful, you will be able to apply separately to claim benefits during the three-month period, in addition to your immigration permission.
Yes. Applications and enquiries relating to domestic abuse are treated with sensitivity and confidentiality. If you are concerned about your safety, you should also consider contacting the police or a specialist domestic abuse support organisation alongside seeking immigration advice.
Applications under the MVDAC are intended to provide urgent protection and support for eligible victims of domestic abuse. Processing times can vary depending on the circumstances of the case, but obtaining advice and making an application as early as possible can help minimise uncertainty during an already difficult period.
If you are experiencing domestic abuse and are concerned about how it might affect your immigration status, our immigration team at Reeds Solicitors is here to listen and advise on the options available to you, with care and confidentiality.
You can contact us through the Reeds Solicitors contact page on our website, by calling 0333 240 7373, or by emailing [email protected].
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