Challenging Circumstances in Relationships: UK Immigration Impact
Immigration status can make leaving a harmful relationship look impossible. There are published routes for people on a partner visa whose relationship has broken down because of domestic abuse, and this guide sets out what they are and where they are written down.
- Section
- Costs, English & General
- Reading time
- 9 min
- Last checked
- 3 September 2026
- Source
- The published Immigration Rules and GOV.UK guidance, linked throughout this guide.
- Rowan does not
- Look at your own case, tell you which route to choose, or say what the Home Office will decide. This guide shows the published rules and where to read them.
In short
- The route is Appendix Victim of Domestic Abuse, applied for in the UK on form SET (DV).
- The concession that comes first is the Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse Concession, 3 months with access to benefits. Its old name was the Destitution Domestic Violence Concession.
- The English language, Life in the UK and maintenance and accommodation requirements do not apply on this route.
- The fee is £3,226 per person, with a waiver where a person cannot afford it. A decision usually takes about 6 months.
- Each UK nation has its own domestic abuse helpline. The number for England is not the number for Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
Appendix Victim of Domestic Abuse is the settlement route for a person who holds or held permission as a partner and whose relationship has broken down permanently as a result of domestic abuse. It is applied for in the UK on form SET (DV), costs £3,226 with a fee waiver where money is short, and usually takes about 6 months. Before it, the Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse Concession gives 3 months' permission with access to benefits. Domestic abuse helplines differ across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
If You Are in Danger Now
In an emergency the number is 999. If you cannot speak, call 999, listen to the operator and press 55 when prompted.
The helplines differ by nation, and GOV.UK lists them separately on its page on how to get help for domestic abuse:
- England: Refuge's National Domestic Abuse Helpline, 0808 2000 247
- Scotland: Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline, 0800 027 1234
- Wales: Live Fear Free, 0808 80 10 100
- Northern Ireland: Domestic and Sexual Abuse Helpline, 0808 802 1414
- UK-wide: Men's Advice Line 0808 801 0327, Respect Phoneline 0808 802 4040, Victim Support 08 08 16 89 111
A Note on the Term
“Challenging circumstances” is not a category in the Immigration Rules, and there is no single provision that covers every difficulty a relationship can run into. The Rules handle particular situations separately, and this guide follows them: domestic abuse under Appendix Victim of Domestic Abuse, bereavement under its own provision, and forced marriage through the criminal law and the Forced Marriage Unit rather than through an immigration route.
Appendix Victim of Domestic Abuse
The settlement route is set out in Appendix Victim of Domestic Abuse. It replaced the older provision people still call the DVILR rule.
The appendix requires, in outline:
- That the applicant holds or previously held permission as a partner on one of the named routes — including a partner under Appendix FM of a British citizen or settled person, a spouse or civil partner under Appendix EU, a partner of a refugee, an Armed Forces partner, and someone previously granted leave under the Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse Concession
- That, in the words of paragraph VDA 4.2, “the relationship between the applicant and their partner must have broken down permanently as a result of domestic abuse”
- That the applicant is in the UK, unless they are overseas because they have been abandoned overseas, in which case a different form applies
- That the suitability requirements are met, the fee is paid or waived, biometrics are provided, and a passport or other document establishing identity and nationality is supplied
Three requirements that apply elsewhere do not apply here: the English language requirement, the Life in the UK knowledge requirement, and the maintenance and accommodation requirement. Nor is there a qualifying period of continuous residence to complete first.
The application is made in the UK on form SET (DV). GOV.UK's page on indefinite leave to remain for victims of domestic violence or abuse gives the fee as £3,226 per person, says you do not pay it if you do not have enough money to support yourself, and says a decision usually comes within 6 months of providing fingerprints and photograph.
The fee waiver, as GOV.UK describes it, covers someone with no housing they can afford, someone with housing who cannot afford essentials such as food or heating, and someone on a very low income where paying would affect a child's wellbeing. It says evidence for that can include bank statements, a signed letter from the local authority, or a signed letter from an agency that has been providing support.
Our guide to domestic abuse and immigration goes through the route in more detail.
The Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse Concession
The concession is the step that can come first, for someone who has left and has no money and no access to public funds. It used to be called the Destitution Domestic Violence Concession, and that older name is still widely used, including by some organisations that should have updated it.
GOV.UK, on the concession's own page, says:
- It “gives you temporary permission to stay in the UK and apply to claim benefits if your relationship broke down because of domestic abuse”
- “If successful, you will get permission to stay in the UK for 3 months”
- Within that period a person must apply for indefinite leave to remain as a victim of domestic abuse, seek another permission to stay, or make arrangements to leave the UK
It is applied for on the migrant victims of domestic abuse concession form published by UK Visas and Immigration.
What Counts as Domestic Abuse
GOV.UK describes domestic abuse for these purposes as covering harm that is “emotional, psychological, physical, sexual or financial”, and “threatening or controlling behaviour”. Financial and economic abuse — one partner controlling the other's access to money, documents or work — is within that description, and so is coercive control.
A criminal conviction is not a requirement of the route. The Home Office publishes caseworker guidance on victims of domestic abuse which sets out how it assesses evidence. Evidence used in practice includes police records and crime reference numbers, court orders such as non-molestation, occupation and restraining orders, medical records, letters from refuges and specialist organisations, social services records, and the applicant's own account.
This site does not assess evidence and cannot say whether a particular application would succeed. Organisations that give regulated immigration advice can, and legal aid remains available in England and Wales for immigration cases connected with domestic abuse — a solicitor can confirm whether it applies.
Forced Marriage
Forcing someone into marriage is a criminal offence in the UK. It is handled through the criminal law and through the Forced Marriage Unit, which is run jointly by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Home Office, rather than through a route in the Immigration Rules.
GOV.UK gives the Forced Marriage Unit's contact details as +44 (0) 20 7008 0151 and fmu@fcdo.gov.uk. Its guidance on forced marriage explains what the unit does, in the UK and overseas.
Where a forced marriage was the basis of a visa, the immigration position depends on the individual case, and this site does not attempt to describe how any particular case would be treated.
Other Situations
- Relationship breakdown without abuse. Different rules apply, and there is no equivalent settlement route. See relationship breakdown and a partner visa.
- Bereavement. There is a separate provision for a partner whose sponsor has died. See bereavement and a partner visa.
- Children in the family. Where there are children, the exceptional circumstances provisions in Appendix FM may be engaged. See Appendix FM exceptional circumstances.
- Settlement generally. The requirements that apply on the ordinary routes are set out in our settlement guide, and the partner route in our partner visa guide.
Getting Support
- Refuge runs the National Domestic Abuse Helpline for England and provides safe accommodation and support.
- Rights of Women runs free legal advice lines, including on immigration and asylum law for women affected by abuse.
- Southall Black Sisters provides specialist support for Black and minority ethnic women, including on no-recourse-to-public-funds cases.
- Your MP can make enquiries with the Home Office on a constituent's behalf. See our guide to asking an MP for help.
Questions and answers
Is 'challenging circumstances' an immigration term?
No. It is not a category in the Immigration Rules. The Rules deal with particular situations separately: Appendix Victim of Domestic Abuse covers a partner relationship that has broken down permanently because of domestic abuse, other provisions cover bereavement, and forced marriage is dealt with through the criminal law and the Forced Marriage Unit rather than through a route of its own.
Can I stay in the UK if my relationship broke down because of domestic abuse?
There is a published settlement route. Appendix Victim of Domestic Abuse allows a person who holds or held permission as a partner to apply for indefinite leave to remain where the relationship with their partner has broken down permanently as a result of domestic abuse. The application is made in the UK on form SET (DV). The Rules do not require the normal qualifying period, and the English language, Life in the UK and maintenance and accommodation requirements are not part of this route.
What is the Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse Concession?
It is the temporary permission that comes before the settlement application. GOV.UK says it gives permission to stay in the UK for 3 months and the ability to claim benefits, for someone in the UK on a temporary visa as a partner whose relationship ended because of domestic abuse. Within those 3 months a person must apply for indefinite leave to remain, seek another permission, or make arrangements to leave. It was previously called the Destitution Domestic Violence Concession, and that older name still appears in a lot of material.
How much does the settlement application cost?
GOV.UK gives the fee as £3,226 per person, and says you do not pay it if you do not have enough money to support yourself. It describes the fee waiver as covering someone with no housing they can afford, someone with housing who cannot afford essentials such as food or heating, and someone on a very low income where paying would affect a child's wellbeing. It says a decision usually comes within 6 months of providing fingerprints and photograph.
What evidence of domestic abuse is needed?
A criminal conviction is not required. The Home Office publishes caseworker guidance on victims of domestic abuse setting out how evidence is assessed, and evidence in practice can include police records, court orders, medical records, letters from refuges or support organisations, records held by social services, and the applicant's own account. This site cannot say whether any particular set of evidence is enough; that is a decision for the Home Office on the individual case.
This guide is general information about published immigration rules. It is not advice about an individual application under s.82 Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, and Rowan is not regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority. Immigration rules change several times a year. For advice on a particular situation, contact an adviser authorised by the Immigration Advice Authority or an immigration solicitor. Always check GOV.UK for the authoritative current rules.