Access to public funds for victims of domestic violence

Victims of domestic violence in certain cases can get access to public funds while their application for settlement is pending consideration at the Home Office. The High Court judgement in case of FA v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2018] EWHC 3475, confirmed that this concession applies only to those applicants who already had spouse visas and were on the route to settlement.

The applicant in this case was a citizen of Sudan married to a British citizen. In August 2015, she entered the United Kingdom illegally. Soon she had to leave her husband due to domestic abuse. In August 2016, Birmingham Social Service helped her to apply for permission to stay in the UK under the domestic violence concession. The Home Office refused her visa, due to the fact that she entered the country not as a partner route of the UK citizen. The applicant challenged the decision of the Home Office, but the High Court did not support her position.