Children aged 18 or over who were last granted permission as a child on a specified route can apply as main applicants under the Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse Concession from 8 October 2026.
Key facts
- Who: Migrant victims of domestic abuse aged 18 or over who were last granted permission as a child on a route listed in the concession's eligibility section (Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse Concession); applicants applying in the UK under Appendix Victim of Domestic Abuse (Appendix VDA) for settlement
- From: 8 October 2026
- Source: Victims of domestic abuse: caseworker guidance
UK Visas and Immigration updated its guidance on 15 October 2026. Version 10.0 of the concession guidance and version 25.0 of the Appendix VDA guidance were published for Home Office staff on 9 October 2026. The two documents cover separate things. The Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse Concession (MVDAC) is a policy concession outside the Immigration Rules. Appendix VDA is the settlement route, applied for on form SET (DV).
Children aged 18 or over. From 8 October 2026, a person aged 18 or over who was last granted permission as a child on one of the specified routes can apply to the MVDAC as a main applicant. They do not need a parent to apply with them. The guidance says this is most likely in three situations:
- the parent sponsor does not flee the abuse with the child
- the parent sponsor is the abuser
- another family member is the abuser
The Appendix VDA guidance has also been amended to include children aged 18 or over as main applicants.
The guidance gives an example. A was granted entry as a child under Appendix FM aged 17 and experienced abuse from her stepfather. At 19 she leaves home. If her mother leaves the stepfather, A can be added to her mother's application as a dependant, provided she is not leading an independent life. If her mother stays, A can apply in her own right.
What the concession provides. Successful applicants are granted 3 months' Leave Outside the Rules, with permission to work and no prohibition on recourse to public funds (code 1A). Applications are made on the leave outside the Immigration Rules (LOTR) (DVV) form.
A victim without pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme must, in that period, do one of three things:
- apply for permission in a relevant route
- apply for settlement on form SET (DV) if eligible under Appendix VDA
- make arrangements to leave the UK
A victim with pre-settled status can apply for settlement on form SET (DV) at any time if eligible. However, they lose access to public funds under the concession if they do not do so within the 3 months.
New validity requirement. For Appendix VDA, an applicant applying from inside the UK must meet the relationship requirement at VDA 4.1 for the application to be valid. They must be aged 18 or over and have, or have last been granted, permission in one of the specified immigration categories. For in-country decisions made on or after 8 October 2026, an application that does not meet VDA 4.1 can be rejected as invalid, and full consideration is not required.
What this means for applicants
An adult who was last granted permission as a child on a specified route can now apply to the concession on their own, without a parent.
For in-country Appendix VDA decisions made on or after 8 October 2026, an application can be rejected as invalid if the applicant does not hold, or has not last held, permission in a specified category.
A person without pre-settled status who has not left the UK must make a further application before the 3 months' permission expires. If they do not, they become an overstayer, lose entitlement to public funds and may be removed.
Related guide: Indefinite leave to remain
Sources
- Victims of domestic abuse: caseworker guidance, UK Visas and Immigration, including Migrant victims of domestic abuse concession (accessible), version 10.0, and Appendix victim of domestic abuse (accessible), version 25.0, updated 15 October 2026