Settlement for Victims of Domestic Abuse
Appendix Victim of Domestic Abuse provides a settlement route for certain people whose qualifying relationship has permanently broken down because of domestic abuse. The Home Office must consider validity, suitability and eligibility — including the applicant's current or last immigration category and the evidence relating to the relationship breakdown. This page explains the framework and the evidence areas to review.
On this page
ENS service scope. This page provides general immigration information. ENS assists only with matters within its regulatory authorisation. Disputed allegations, complex domestic-abuse evidence, refusals, appeals, Tribunal matters, deportation and complex human-rights issues may require referral to an appropriately authorised adviser or legal representative.
For a complex, disputed or refused matter, see immigration help.
In brief
- Appendix Victim of Domestic Abuse is a settlement route where a qualifying relationship has permanently broken down because of domestic abuse.
- The Home Office considers validity, suitability and eligibility, including your current or last immigration category.
- The abuse does not have to be by the partner.
- The guide explains the framework and the evidence areas — it does not decide the application.
What Is Settlement Under Appendix Victim of Domestic Abuse?
Appendix VDA is the Immigration Rules framework for settlement as a victim of domestic abuse. A decision-maker considers whether the application is valid, whether any suitability ground requires refusal, and whether the applicant meets the eligibility requirements — and the route can result in indefinite leave to remain (ILR) or indefinite leave to enter (ILE).
The route is not simply triggered by the existence of domestic abuse. The applicant's immigration status and the reason the relationship permanently broke down are central to the framework.
Who Can Use the Route?
Appendix VDA applies to a person who was previously granted permission as a spouse, civil partner, unmarried or durable partner and who falls within the specified immigration categories, whose relationship has permanently broken down because of domestic abuse. It is not automatically available to every victim of domestic abuse in the UK, to every dependant on every route, or to someone simply because MVDAC has been granted.
The MVDAC guidance expressly says that not everyone granted the temporary concession will qualify for Appendix VDA settlement — see the MVDAC boundary below.
Which Immigration Permission Can Lead to Appendix VDA Settlement?
The guidance identifies several qualifying categories. The framework guide below lets you select your own — in outline they include specified:
- Appendix FM partner permission
- Appendix EU partner permission
- partners of refugees under specified family provisions
- certain legacy Part 8 partner permission
- Appendix Armed Forces partner permission
- previous domestic-abuse permission
- MVDAC leave where the person immediately beforehand held a qualifying category
Appendix FM permission as a fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner is excluded from the standard qualifying category.
What Does the Guidance Mean by Domestic Abuse?
The guidance uses the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 definition and recognises that abuse may be a single incident or a pattern of conduct between personally connected people. It may include psychological, physical, sexual, financial and emotional abuse, and threatening, controlling or coercive behaviour. It also expressly recognises forced marriage, honour-based violence, dowry-related abuse and transnational marriage abandonment.
Physical violence is not the "main" or a required form of abuse. The guidance says no distinction should be made between psychological and physical abuse when considering Appendix VDA settlement.
The Relationship Must Have Broken Down Because of Domestic Abuse
The core Appendix VDA question has two parts, considered separately: was there domestic abuse, and did that abuse cause the qualifying relationship to break down permanently? For in-country settlement applications, the evidence is considered in the round and assessed on the balance of probabilities — whether the account is more likely than not.
The Abuse Does Not Have to Be by the Partner
The guidance recognises that domestic abuse can be perpetrated by another family member, including in-laws. Appendix VDA may still be relevant where that abuse caused the relationship between the applicant and their partner to break down — for example because the partner did not protect the applicant or prevent the abuse.
It also recognises cases where the relationship breaks down because the partner or another family member abuses someone else in the household — for example where the applicant leaves because the partner abused a child or stepchild. A child who sees, hears or experiences the effects of domestic abuse can be a victim in their own right.
What Evidence Is Required?
The Immigration Rules do not specify a mandatory list of documents. The Home Office must consider all the information and evidence in the round.
No mandatory police report. A police report, criminal conviction or court order is not universally required. The guidance expressly states that a lack of police involvement, prosecution or conviction is not an adverse factor in itself — many victims have no such involvement.
Examples of evidence — not a mandatory checklist
The guidance gives a non-exhaustive list, and applicants may rely on any relevant evidence: criminal-justice evidence, police records, court orders, medical evidence, evidence from domestic-abuse organisations, local authority or social services, refuges and charities, professional assessments, communications, and the applicant's own statement.
The applicant's own account
The guidance recognises that limited documentary evidence may be available and specifically addresses cases where the applicant's statement is the principal evidence. The reasons for any lack of documentary evidence must be considered, particularly where they arise from the abusive relationship. It also recognises that trauma can affect a person's ability to recount events chronologically or consistently, and that discrepancies must be considered in that context rather than automatically treated as disproving abuse.
Living together or attempting reconciliation
Continued residence at the same address, or attempts at reconciliation, should not automatically be treated as showing the relationship had not broken down. The guidance identifies reasons including a lack of access to safety or support, fear about children, financial dependence, and cultural or religious pressures.
Conclusive evidence
Certain forms of evidence are treated as conclusive of the domestic-abuse requirement — for example certain criminal convictions, a DVPO or a DAPO. Where valid conclusive evidence applies, further corroboration of the abuse itself is not ordinarily required unless a counter-allegation issue arises. These are examples of high-weight evidence, not a mandatory evidence gateway — you do not need one of them to apply.
Do You Need Valid Permission on the Date of Application?
Appendix VDA does not require a person to have valid permission in the UK at the date of application, provided their last grant was in a relevant category before the relationship broke down because of domestic abuse. The guidance expressly states that an overstayer can still fall within the route where the last grant was a qualifying category.
This is not the same as saying "overstayers qualify" — the last immigration category remains critical even where current permission has expired. Complex immigration-history cases should be reviewed via immigration help.
The Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse Concession (MVDAC)
MVDAC is separate from Appendix VDA settlement. It provides a short period of independent immigration status, and potential access to public funds, for certain migrant victims of domestic abuse — so they can move to safety and address their longer-term immigration position.
MVDAC does not equal settlement. A person granted MVDAC is not automatically eligible for Appendix VDA settlement. The concession covers some categories — including certain dependent partners on Work or Student routes — that do not necessarily fall within Appendix VDA settlement. See the dedicated MVDAC page for the temporary concession.
Fee Waiver
A person who is destitute is exempt from the settlement application fee. Destitution is defined by reference to a lack of adequate accommodation, or an inability to meet essential living needs. The assessment may consider accommodation, income, benefits or support, savings, essential expenditure, financial help from family or friends, and any other reason the fee cannot be paid.
The guidance recognises that financial or economic abuse may mean an applicant has no access to bank accounts, bills or other ordinary financial evidence — that context is taken into account.
Suitability
Appendix VDA applications are subject to the suitability requirements. The guidance says decision-makers must consider mandatory and discretionary grounds with particular care where the underlying issue is connected to the domestic abuse.
Where there is serious criminality, a deception allegation, deportation, a disputed counter-allegation, a complex immigration breach or a refusal/administrative-review issue, the case should be handled separately. This page does not predict outcomes. See immigration help.
Can Dependent Children Obtain Settlement Under Appendix VDA?
Dependent children can fall within Appendix VDA where their parent is being granted, or has already been granted, settlement under the route. A child cannot ordinarily obtain Appendix VDA settlement independently where the parent has not been, and is not being, granted under the route. The guidance refers to relationship, care, age and independent-life considerations; the detailed requirements sit in Appendix Children and are not reconstructed here — see the Child Visa page.
What if the Applicant Was Abandoned Outside the UK?
Appendix VDA specifically recognises transnational marriage abandonment as a form of domestic abuse — where a sponsoring partner or family member abandons or strands a visa-dependent partner overseas, often without financial resources and with the aim of preventing their return. Victims abandoned abroad can apply for settlement from outside the UK where the relevant requirements are met. In that context the guidance applies a reasonable degree of likelihood standard, which it describes as lower than the balance of probabilities. Overseas cases can be complex — if yours is, see immigration help.
Grant or Refusal
Settlement must be granted where all the Appendix VDA requirements are met. In-country grants are endorsed as Domestic Violence – ILR; overseas grants are settlement as a victim of domestic abuse. If an application is refused, this page does not explain appeal prospects — a refusal or complex issue should be reviewed via immigration help.
Appendix VDA Framework Guide
A guide to identify whether Appendix Victim of Domestic Abuse is the framework to review, and the evidence areas to gather. It is a guide only — it does not determine eligibility, assess whether abuse is proved, give a score, predict a decision, or assess an appeal.
Guide only — identifies the framework, issues and evidence areas to review. It does not assess whether abuse is proved, and gives no eligibility result, score or prediction.
Common Misconceptions
"I need a police report."
There is no mandatory documentary evidence list, and absence of police involvement is not adverse in itself.
"Domestic abuse must be physical."
Psychological, emotional, financial, controlling and coercive abuse are expressly recognised.
"The abuser must be my partner."
Abuse by a family member can be relevant where it caused the partner relationship to break down.
"If I still live with the perpetrator, I cannot rely on Appendix VDA."
Continued cohabitation does not automatically mean the relationship has not broken down.
"If my visa expired, Appendix VDA is automatically unavailable."
The guidance says current valid permission is not always required where the last grant was a relevant category.
"MVDAC permission means I automatically qualify for settlement."
MVDAC and Appendix VDA are different frameworks, and MVDAC does not guarantee settlement.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Appendix Victim of Domestic Abuse?
It is the Immigration Rules route for settlement where the relevant requirements, including qualifying immigration status and relationship breakdown because of domestic abuse, are met.
Do I need a police report?
No mandatory police report is specified. The guidance requires evidence to be considered in the round and says a lack of police involvement is not adverse in itself.
Can emotional or financial abuse count?
Yes. The guidance recognises psychological, emotional, financial, controlling and coercive abuse as well as physical and sexual abuse.
What if my in-laws abused me?
That can be relevant if the abuse caused the relationship with the partner to break down.
What if my partner abused our child rather than me?
The guidance recognises cases where abuse of another household member causes the applicant to leave the relationship.
Can I apply if my permission has expired?
Potentially, because Appendix VDA does not always require current valid permission where the last grant was in a qualifying category. Immigration history should be reviewed carefully.
What is MVDAC?
The Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse Concession is a temporary concession providing independent permission and potential access to public funds for specified migrant victims. It is not the same as settlement and does not guarantee it.
Can I apply from outside the UK?
Appendix VDA includes provision for victims of transnational marriage abandonment who have been abandoned overseas and meet the relevant requirements.
Can my children apply?
Dependent children can come within Appendix VDA where their parent is being, or has been, granted settlement under the route, subject to the child requirements.
Is there a fee waiver?
The guidance provides a fee waiver where the applicant is destitute, subject to evidence and assessment of the individual financial circumstances.
How ENS Immigration Advice Can Help
ENS can help you understand whether Appendix VDA is the right framework and which requirements and evidence areas to review — for straightforward matters within our IAA authorisation. Where a case involves disputed allegations, complex evidence, a counter-allegation, a refusal, an appeal or another complex issue, we will point you to appropriate further advice rather than take it on through this page.
ENS service scope. This page provides general immigration information. Disputed allegations, complex domestic-abuse evidence, refusals, appeals, Tribunal matters, deportation and complex human-rights issues may require referral to an appropriately authorised adviser or legal representative. The precise Level 1/2/3 boundary should be verified against the current Immigration Advice Authority competence guidance.
Source basis: Home Office, Appendix Victim of Domestic Abuse, version 24.0, published 15 July 2026, and Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse Concession, version 9.0, published 2 March 2026. Appendix VDA governs settlement; MVDAC is a separate temporary concession and does not itself guarantee settlement. Immigration Rules and guidance can change, so the requirements applicable at the date of application should be checked.
If you are in immediate danger, call 999. For confidential support, the free 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline is 0808 2000 247.
Discuss a straightforward Appendix VDA application
If your qualifying relationship has broken down because of domestic abuse, we can help you understand the framework, the immigration-status position and the evidence areas to prepare. For a complex, disputed or refused matter, see our immigration help page.