No 10 vows action as BBC probes alleged abuse of migrant domestic abuse scheme

No 10 said the government would ensure “anyone potentially abusing our immigration system is held accountable” after a BBC investigation alleged that some migrants were being coached to make false domestic abuse claims under a protection designed for real victims.

The scheme at the centre of the row is the Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse Concession, known as MVDAC. It gives eligible people temporary permission to stay in the UK and access to public funds while they seek a longer-term immigration route or settlement if their relationship has broken down because of domestic abuse.

The Home Office widened the concession on 16 February 2024 to cover dependent partners of workers or students. Eligibility was then expanded again on 4 April 2024 to include certain spouses, civil partners or durable partners with pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, along with dependent children.

The BBC said the system was being exploited by some migrants who were allegedly advised to make fabricated complaints, including claims of psychological abuse. It also reported that online advisers were encouraging false allegations. The allegation goes to the heart of a difficult policy balance: a route intended to shield survivors from danger can be damaged if officials cannot separate genuine claims from abuse of the system.

The scale of demand has also climbed sharply. BBC reporting said applications through the concession now exceed 5,500 a year, up by more than 50% in three years, while men’s claims have risen by 66%. Those figures will intensify pressure on ministers to show that the system is being properly checked without making it harder for real victims to come forward.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood described abuse of the system as “beyond contempt,” according to the BBC reporting. The Domestic Abuse Commissioner has warned that migrant survivors need stronger protection, noting that all 43 police forces in England and Wales and the British Transport Police shared information about victims and survivors of domestic abuse with immigration enforcement in 2023.

The government has said it allocated up to £5.6 million from April 2021 to March 2025 for the Support for Migrant Victim Scheme. As ministers weigh whether to tighten the concession, the test will be whether new safeguards can deter fraud without leaving genuine victims trapped between abuse at home and disbelief from the state.