The Frontline Worker’s Guide to Domestic Abuse and Immigration Status in the UK

For many people experiencing domestic abuse, immigration status is not separate from the abuse. It can be used as a threat, a source of financial control, or a reason to prevent someone from seeking help.

A partner may threaten to report someone to the Home Office, hide their passport, control access to their UKVI account, or say that leaving will mean homelessness and deportation. These behaviours can make it much harder for a survivor to reach safety.

For frontline workers in local authorities and healthcare, understanding domestic abuse and immigration status in the UK is an important part of safeguarding. You do not need to be an immigration specialist. However, you do need to recognise immigration-related coercive control, understand the practical barriers a person may face, and know how to make a safe referral.

Important: This guide provides general information for frontline staff. It is not immigration or legal advice. Do not advise someone which application to make or predict the outcome of their case. Refer them to a regulated immigration adviser or solicitor.

What does “no recourse to public funds” mean?

No recourse to public funds (NRPF) is an immigration condition placed on many people with temporary permission to stay in the UK.

In simple terms, a person with NRPF is usually unable to access certain benefits and local authority housing assistance. This can include:

• Universal Credit
• Housing Benefit
• Most social housing
• Homelessness assistance
• Some local welfare payments

The position is not always straightforward. Some payments and services are not classed as “public funds”, and there may be exceptions depending on a person’s immigration route and circumstances. A person may also have rights to support under children’s social care or adult social care legislation.

For example, the current government guidance for local authorities in England states that immigration restrictions do not remove local authority safeguarding duties towards children. It also explains that local authorities may have duties under the Children Act 1989 and Care Act 2014, depending on assessed needs.

NRPF does not mean that a person should be refused safeguarding, healthcare, information or a safe response. It does mean that staff should avoid making assumptions about what support is available and seek advice from the relevant specialist team.

Why NRPF can increase the risk of domestic abuse

A person who cannot access mainstream benefits or housing may feel they have nowhere to go. They may be financially dependent on their partner, living in the partner’s home, or relying on the partner to explain their immigration status.

This can create a serious barrier to leaving. A survivor may fear:

• Becoming homeless
• Losing access to food or money
• Being separated from their children
• Being reported to immigration authorities
• Losing their visa or right to remain
• Being refused a refuge place
• Being judged or disbelieved by professionals

For this reason, questions about immigration status should be part of a wider safeguarding conversation, not used as a test of whether someone is “eligible” for help.

A person does not need to have made a police report before being offered support. They may also still be living with the person causing harm, or may have returned to the relationship because they had no safe alternative.

The old DDVC route and the current MVDAC concession

Frontline staff may still hear the term Destitution Domestic Violence Concession (DDVC). The current name is the Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse Concession (MVDAC).

The MVDAC is designed to give eligible migrant partners a short period of independent immigration status and access to public funds. The aim is to help someone leave an abusive relationship and reach safety without immediately becoming destitute.

The Home Office MVDAC guidance explains that a successful applicant is normally granted:

• Three months’ permission to stay
• Permission to work
• Access to public funds, subject to the usual eligibility rules

This support is not automatic. A person must make a separate application for benefits or housing assistance, and eligibility will be assessed by the relevant organisation.

The concession may apply to some people whose current or most recent permission was as:

• A partner of a British or settled person
• A partner of a person with refugee status
• A dependent partner of someone on a work or study route
• A spouse, civil partner or durable partner with qualifying pre-settled status
• A partner under certain armed forces or Ukraine routes

Not everyone who receives MVDAC can apply for settlement under the domestic abuse route. Someone may receive temporary support but need to make a different immigration application or arrange to leave the UK.

This is why a referral to specialist immigration advice is essential.

The route to settlement under Appendix VDA

Some people whose relationship has broken down because of domestic abuse may be eligible to apply for settlement, also known as indefinite leave to remain, under Appendix Victim of Domestic Abuse.

This route is commonly associated with people on spouse or partner visas. Eligibility depends on the person’s current or most recent immigration permission and the circumstances of the relationship.

Some dependent children may also be eligible. The rules can be complex, and they change over time. A survivor should not be told that they definitely qualify based only on a brief conversation or the visa label they remember.

A useful and safe message is:

“There may be immigration options for people whose relationship has ended because of domestic abuse. I cannot advise you on which route applies, but I can help you find specialist advice.”

A person may also be eligible for a fee waiver if they cannot afford a settlement application. The Home Office guidance explains that destitution and domestic abuse may affect the evidence someone can provide. Do not assume that missing documents mean the abuse did not happen.

Immigration status can be a form of coercive control

Immigration-related abuse may include:

• Threatening deportation or removal
• Threatening to cancel or withdraw sponsorship
• Hiding passports, visas or biometric documents
• Controlling access to a UKVI account or email address
• Giving false information about immigration rights
• Preventing someone from attending appointments
• Deliberately allowing a visa to expire
• Threatening separation from children
• Using NRPF to threaten homelessness or destitution

These behaviours should be recorded as part of the pattern of domestic abuse. They should not be treated as an administrative detail.

The Right to Remain guide for migrants affected by domestic abuse provides accessible information about coercive control, NRPF, MVDAC and settlement applications.

How frontline staff can respond safely

Whether you are a housing officer, health visitor, clinician, social worker, receptionist or support worker, your first response matters.

1. Speak privately

Do not discuss domestic abuse or immigration status through a partner, family member or informal interpreter. Arrange a safe, professional interpreter where needed.

Consider whether the person’s phone, email address or online accounts are being monitored. Ask what method of contact is safe.

2. Listen without making promises

Use clear, non-judgemental language:

• “You deserve to be safe.”
• “Threats about your immigration status can be part of domestic abuse.”
• “You do not have to resolve your immigration situation before asking for support.”
• “I cannot give immigration advice, but I can help you reach someone who can.”

Avoid saying that the person will definitely be granted a visa, benefits, housing or settlement.

3. Make a specialist referral

Refer to a domestic abuse service with experience of migrant survivors and NRPF. Specialist services may be able to help find:

• A refuge that accepts women with no recourse to public funds
• Emergency accommodation
• Advocacy and safety planning
• Immigration advice
• Benefits and housing support
• Interpreting and culturally specific support

The Women’s Aid Domestic Abuse Directory can help identify local services. The Support for Migrant Victims Scheme may also provide accommodation, subsistence, counselling and immigration support through its delivery partners.

4. Refer to regulated immigration advice

Frontline workers should not advise on visa applications, settlement eligibility or the effect of an immigration decision.

Signpost the person to:

• An immigration adviser regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority, formerly OISC
• An immigration solicitor regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority
• A specialist organisation offering regulated immigration advice, such as Rights of Women or Southall Black Sisters

Check that the adviser is regulated and has experience of domestic abuse, NRPF and migrant women’s rights.

Recording and sharing information sensitively

Good records can support safeguarding, risk assessment and future legal advice. They can also cause harm if written carelessly or shared without thought.

Record:

• The person’s own words where possible
• Specific threats about immigration status
• Whether documents or online accounts are being controlled
• The impact on safety, housing, finances and children
• The person’s preferred and safe contact method
• Referrals made and advice given
• Whether consent was obtained, and if not, why information was shared

Avoid vague phrases such as “visa problems” or “relationship difficulties” when the person has described threats or coercion. Record the behaviour accurately, for example: “The partner said they would report her to the Home Office if she left and currently holds her passport.”

Share information in line with your organisation’s safeguarding, confidentiality and information governance policies. Seek consent where it is safe and appropriate, but remember that consent is not always required where sharing is necessary to protect someone from serious harm or to safeguard a child.

Use the minimum information needed, share it only with people who need to know, and record your reasons. If you are unsure, speak to your safeguarding lead, manager or information governance team.

Building confident practice through training

Domestic abuse and immigration status in the UK is a specialist area, but frontline workers do not need to know every immigration rule. They need the confidence to:

• Recognise immigration-related coercive control
• Understand the practical impact of NRPF
• Respond without judgement
• Avoid giving unregulated immigration advice
• Make safe referrals to migrant and VAWG services
• Identify regulated legal advice
• Record and share information appropriately

At Serene Futures, our safeguarding domestic abuse training helps local authority and healthcare teams respond to complex cases with greater confidence and care. Our domestic abuse training for healthcare professionals and domestic abuse training local authority programmes can be tailored to the roles, policies and referral pathways within your organisation.

If your team needs practical, compassionate domestic abuse training UK that reflects the realities frontline workers face, contact Serene Futures to discuss your training needs.