Apply for Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) as a Victim of Domestic Violence

: Written by: Arshad Mahmood; Last Updated: 10 February 2026

You can apply for Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) as a victim of domestic violence from outside the UK if you are on a spouse/partner visa and your relationship with your UK spouse/partner has broken down irretrievably as a result of incidents of domestic violence and abuse. An application for Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) from outside the UK as a victim of domestic violence is made online in accordance with eligibility requirements as set out in Appendix Victims of Domestic Abuse of the Immigration Rules. The Appendix Victims of Domestic Abuse of the Immigration Rules allows settlement where a person has, or was last granted, permission as a partner on a specified route and the relationship has permanently broken down due to domestic abuse.

If you cannot afford to pay the Home Office UKVI fee for the Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) application as a victim of domestic violence, you can ask the Home Office UKVI for a fee waiver for your Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) application as a victim of domestic violence.

Premium Solicitors, open 7 days a week and 365 days a year, are specialist UK immigration solicitors. The high quality of UK visa and immigration services provided by our best team of fully qualified and experienced SRA-regulated immigration solicitors is self-evident from the 5-star Google Reviews rating by 99% of our clients.

Free Immigration Advice For ILE As A Victim Of Domestic Violence

Our specialist team of immigration solicitors can provide one-off 5-minute free immigration advice online in relation to your application from outside the UK for Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) as a victim of domestic violence. Ask a question online to our specialist team of immigration solicitors for free immigration advice online, or book an appointment online for detailed immigration advice and consultation with one of our immigration solicitors concerning your application for Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) as a victim of domestic violence.

Can I Apply for a Fee Waiver for ILE as a Victim of Domestic Violence?

You can apply for a fee waiver for your Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) application as a victim of domestic violence. You do not have to pay the fee to apply for Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) as a victim of domestic violence if you can provide evidence that you:

do not have a place to live and cannot afford one
have a place to live, but cannot afford essential living costs like food or heating
have a very low income, and paying the fee would harm your child’s well-being
Evidence can include bank statements, a signed letter from your local authority, or a signed letter from an agency that’s been giving you support.

How To Apply for Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) as a Victim of Domestic Violence?

To apply for Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) as a victim of domestic violence, you should take the following steps:

Complete the online application form for Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) as a victim of domestic violence on the UKVI website.
Submit the completed application form online by paying the Home Office UKVI fees for the Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) application, unless you have been granted a fee waiver for your Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) application as a victim of domestic violence.
Book your biometrics appointments at the application centre by creating an account on its web portal.
Upload all the supporting documents online before the biometrics enrolment appointment date.
Attend your biometrics enrolment appointment. You should take your passport and biometrics appointment letter with you to your appointment.
You should wait for a decision on your Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) application. Your application for Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) as a victim of domestic abuse will be generally decided within 60 working days from the biometrics enrolment date.

What are the Requirements For Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) as a Victim Of Domestic Violence?

A person applying from outside the UK on the Victim of Domestic Abuse route must apply for entry clearance online on the gov.uk website on the specified form: “Return to the UK”.

The requirements to be met for Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) from outside the UK as a victim of domestic violence are set out in Appendix Victims of Domestic Abuse to the Immigration Rules. The Immigration Rules require that:

Applicant outside the UK: The applicant must be outside the UK for an entry clearance application for Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) as a victim of domestic violence when applying from outside the UK;

Valid application: the applicant must have made a valid application for Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) as a victim of domestic violence;

Suitability requirement: The applicant must not fall for refusal under Part Suitability of the Immigration Rules; and

Immigration status requirement: The applicant must have, or have last been granted, permission as one of the following:

(a) a partner under Appendix FM (except for permission as a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner) of a person who is a British citizen, settled in the UK or an EEA national in the UK with limited leave to enter or remain granted under paragraph EU3 of Appendix EU on the basis of meeting condition 1 in paragraph EU14 of Appendix EU; or

(aa) a spouse, civil partner or durable partner under Appendix EU with limited leave to enter or remain as a family member of a relevant EEA citizen (or of a qualifying British citizen), as a joining family member of a relevant sponsor or as a family member who has retained the right of residence, granted under paragraph EU3 or EU3A of that Appendix; or

(b) a partner under Appendix FM, Part 11, or Appendix Family Reunion (Protection) of a person with permission as a refugee; or

(d) a victim of domestic abuse under Appendix FM; or

(e) a partner under Appendix Armed Forces or Part 7 (except for permission as a fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner), of any of the below:

(i) a person who is a British citizen; or

(ii) a foreign and commonwealth citizen with at least 4 years’ reckonable service in HM Forces at the date of application under this paragraph or;

(iii) a member of HM Armed Forces who has applied for or been granted permission or settlement as a foreign and commonwealth citizen discharged from HM Armed Forces; or

(f) leave outside the rules granted under the Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse Concession (formerly the Destitution Domestic Violence Concession (DDVC)), and before that were last granted permission under one of the categories defined in VDA 4.1(a) to (e).

Breakdown of relationship due to domestic violence: The relationship between the applicant and their partner must have broken down permanently as a result of domestic abuse.

Abandoned Outside the UK: If the applicant is applying from outside the UK, they must have been abandoned outside the UK.

Tuberculosis Test Requirement: Where a person is applying for entry clearance on the Victim of Domestic Abuse route they must, if Appendix Tuberculosis applies, provide a valid medical certificate confirming that they have undergone screening for active pulmonary tuberculosis and that this tuberculosis is not present in them.

The Immigration Rules do not require the applicant to pass the Knowledge of Language and Life test when applying for Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) as a victim of domestic violence from outside the UK.

Can I Re-Apply For Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) as a Victim Of Domestic Violence after the Refusal?

If you have been refused Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) as a victim of domestic violence and abuse by the Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) and you do not believe you can successfully challenge the refusal, you may be able to reapply for Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) as a victim of domestic violence.

How Can I Apply For Administrative Review Against Refusal of Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) as a Victim of Domestic Violence?

If the Home Office UKVI has refused your application for Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) as a victim of domestic violence and you have been given the right to Administrative Review against the refusal decision, you should file an Administrative Review within 28 days of the refusal decision. The Administrative Review against the refusal decision can be successful on the grounds that the decision maker has made a caseworker error in deciding your application for Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) as a victim of domestic violence. Our specialist family visa solicitors can provide the required legal services to represent you in your Administrative Review to challenge the refusal decision.

When Can I Apply for Naturalisation As A British Citizen After Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) as a Victim of Domestic Violence?

You can apply for naturalisation as a British citizen 12 months after you have been granted Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) if you have been lawfully resident in the UK for the last five years preceding the date of application. If you are married to a British Citizen, the residence requirement will be three years instead of 5 years, and there will be no requirement to wait for 12 months after the grant of Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) when applying for naturalisation as a spouse of a British Citizen. Your absences from the UK during the last five years before the date of application for naturalisation should not exceed 450 days. If you are relying on three years of residence because you are married to a British Citizen, your absences during the last three years before the date of your naturalisation application should not exceed 270 days. Also, you must not have been absent from the UK for more than 90 days in the last 12 months before the date of your application for naturalisation as a British Citizen. Our specialist team of family visa solicitors can provide immigration advice and legal services for your application for naturalisation as a British Citizen after the grant of Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) as a victim of domestic violence. Read More

How Can We Help?

Our specialist team of immigration solicitors can provide expert immigration advice and legal representation on a fixed fee basis in relation to your application for Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) as a victim of domestic violence. Our fixed fee for your application for Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) as a victim of domestic violence will cover all the work of our immigration solicitors on your application for Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) as a victim of domestic violence until a decision is made by the Home Office UKVI on your application for Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) as a victim of domestic violence. The casework to be carried out by our immigration solicitors in relation to your application for Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) as a victim of domestic violence will entail the following:

Advice on requirements: Our immigration solicitors will advise you on the relevant requirements you have to meet for your application for Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) as a victim of domestic violence to succeed.

Advice on documents: Our immigration lawyers will prepare and email you a comprehensive list of supporting documents to be submitted in support of your application for Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) as a victim of domestic violence.

Assessment of documents: Our immigration lawyers will assess your documents to make sure that all the documents you provide in support of your application for Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) as a victim of domestic violence are in accordance with the requirements of the Immigration Rules.

Completing the application form: Our immigration lawyers will complete the relevant application form for your application for Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) as a victim of domestic violence.

Booking an appointment with the application centre: After you submit your application for Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) as a victim of domestic violence online, our immigration lawyers will book your appointment with the application centre so you can enrol your biometrics.

Preparing a detailed cover letter: Our specialist immigration solicitors will prepare a detailed cover letter in support of your application for Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) as a victim of domestic violence, explaining how all the legal requirements are met for the approval of your application for Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) as a victim of domestic violence.

Uploading documents online: Before the biometrics enrolment date, our immigration lawyers will upload online all the supporting documents to be considered in support of your application for Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) as a victim of domestic violence.

Follow-up work: Our immigration lawyers will carry out all the follow-up work until a decision by the Home Office UKVI on your application for Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) as a victim of domestic violence.

Why Choose Us For Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) As A Victim Of Domestic Violence?

There are several reasons why you can choose our family visa solicitors and lawyers in London to handle your application for Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) as a victim of domestic violence from inside the UK. The main reasons include the following:

High-Quality Legal Services: Our team of the best family visa solicitors in London provides high-quality legal services for Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) as a victim of domestic violence from inside the UK. The high quality of UK visa and immigration legal services offered by our best team of immigration lawyers is self-evident from the 5-star Google Reviews rating by 99% of our clients.

Remote Legal Services: Our specialist family visa solicitors and lawyers can provide you with expert immigration advice and legal representation, delivered remotely from our London offices. Using modern technology, our specialist family visa solicitors and lawyers can handle your application for Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) as a victim of domestic violence remotely without the need for you to visit our offices. Whilst we are more than happy to welcome clients into our offices if that is their preference, we are proud to offer our legal services for Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) applications remotely to save you time and travel costs.

Open 7 Days A Week: We are open seven days a week and pride ourselves on providing dedicated immigration advice and legal representation for Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) as a victim of domestic violence.

All Work Carried Out By Qualified Specialist Immigration Solicitors: Our specialist team of fully qualified and experienced family visa solicitors, who have extensive experience dealing with Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) applications, will carry out all the casework on your application for Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) as a victim of domestic violence.

Free Immigration Advice Online: Our specialist team of family visa solicitors and lawyers can provide one-off free immigration advice online for Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) through our website enquiry form.

Fixed Fees With Payment Plan: Our family visa solicitors and lawyers charge reasonable and affordable fixed fees for an application for Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) as a victim of domestic violence with the option to pay our fixed fee in two instalments whereby you pay half of the agreed fixed fee when we start our work on your Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) application and the remaining half when we have fully prepared the Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) application and it is ready for submission to the Home Office UKVI.

Specialist Immigration Solicitors for ILE as a Victim Of Domestic Violence

Our specialist team of family visa solicitors can provide expert immigration advice and legal representation in relation to your application for ILE as a victim of domestic violence. Our immigration solicitors have extensive experience and specialist knowledge of dealing with Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) applications as a victim of domestic violence - SET (DV) application. As one of the best family visa solicitors dealing with ILE applications based on domestic violence and abuse, our immigration lawyers can provide fast, friendly, and reliable fixed-fee legal services for your Indefinite Leave to Enter (ILE) application.

The high quality of UK visa and immigration legal services provided by our best team of immigration lawyers is self-evident from the 5-star Google Reviews rating by 99% of our clients. Our London-based immigration solicitors are available 7 days a week, 365 days a year, offering unwavering dedication and exceptional legal support for a wide range of UK visa and immigration cases. Our team of highly regarded immigration solicitors brings together more than 6 decades of collective, specialised expertise in successfully handling UK visa and immigration applications.

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