Migrants are falsely claiming to be victims of domestic abuse in order to stay in the country, a BBC investigation has found.
They are exploiting rules designed to help genuine victims — the Migrant Victims of Domestic Abuse Concession — which can fast-track permanent residence more quickly than other routes such as asylum. Inadequate Home Office checks are allowing some to succeed on the basis of limited evidence, while British partners say their lives have been upended by false accusations, lawyers told the BBC.
The investigation found migrants, both male and female, duping British partners into relationships or marriage and then making abuse claims after moving to the UK. Some are being encouraged to fabricate allegations by legal advisers advertising online. A BBC undercover reporter met an adviser who encouraged him to make false allegations.
The number of people claiming fast-track residency under the domestic abuse concession has reached more than 5,500 a year. Freedom of Information data show 5,596 applications for indefinite leave to remain as victims of domestic abuse in the 12 months to September 2025 — a rise of more than 50% in three years. Around a quarter (1,424) of applications were made by men, a 66% rise compared with two years earlier; applications by women rose 47%.
How the concession works
Under Home Office rules, migrants on temporary visas who are partners of British citizens and who are victims of domestic abuse can apply for the concession. Because such migrants may be reliant on their partners for visas, housing and food, the concession gives support when relationships break down through abuse. Successful applicants are granted permission to stay in the UK for three months and can claim benefits; during that period they can apply for indefinite leave to remain, allowing them to live, work and study permanently. This is much faster than usual routes, where someone normally has to wait about five years before applying for indefinite leave.
Undercover meeting
In late February at a hotel in London’s St Pancras, an immigration adviser, Eli Ciswaka, met a man who had contacted him by phone. The man said he wanted to leave his British wife to live with another woman but would lose his visa if he separated. On the initial call, Ciswaka had suggested pretending to be a victim of domestic abuse. At the meeting he confirmed he would fabricate a claim for £900, creating a story to present to the Home Office.
What he proposed included presenting “psychological domestic abuse” or “when someone is playing with your mind” and relying on oral accounts rather than physical evidence. He told the reporter he had experience and claimed all his previous cases had been successful, showing a Home Office letter confirming an application outcome. Ciswaka is neither a registered solicitor nor a regulated immigration adviser, meaning it is illegal for him to provide immigration advice or services. The Home Office correspondence he showed suggested officials had shared official letters with him about clients without checking his credentials. He later denied being willing to make up a story when contacted about the investigation.
Regulation and response
The Immigration Advice Authority said it would investigate and act decisively to identify wrongdoing and take robust enforcement action. Immigration Services Commissioner Gaon Hart warned the public to use only registered advisers.
Safeguarding minister Jess Phillips said the abuse of the route was “utterly shameful” and warned those who try to defraud the system would have applications refused and could be removed from the UK. She said sham lawyers facilitating the abuse would face criminal action and asset seizure.
Evidence and abuse of the route
Some victims of false allegations say partners made reports to the police, generating crime reference numbers later used as evidence for Home Office applications, even when police investigations resulted in no action. The Home Office says a crime reference number on its own is not treated as proof of domestic abuse. Other evidence used in some cases includes reports to domestic violence charities or non-molestation injunctions, which can sometimes be obtained without the partner being present.
Aisha’s story
One woman, using the name Aisha, said she met her ex-husband on a Muslim dating app and married him after a whirlwind romance. She later discovered he was not the British citizen he had claimed to be and was dependent on her for a visa. She says he became controlling and abusive, demanding she have a baby to secure his status and that he raped her. She left, reported the rape to police and the Home Office, and was later awarded more than £17,000 by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, which found the sexual assault was more likely than not to have occurred.
She says after officials told him his visa would be curtailed, he reported to police that he was the victim of coercive control and physical violence, turning the narrative against her. The police did not take action against her in relation to those allegations, and he never faced rape charges after she decided not to support prosecution. She says his allegations continued: in January 2023 she was arrested following another complaint and spent eight hours away from her breastfeeding baby. Her MP, Jess Phillips, intervened with police and later, as a Home Office minister, advised Aisha to forward evidence to the department. Aisha says the Home Office “allowed him to continue this behaviour” and that she has suffered “four years of hell”.
Impact on British partners
Criminal lawyer Jabran Hussain said he has represented British nationals he believes were falsely accused by migrant partners trying to secure settlement. He said some clients’ lives have been “turned upside down” while the accusers can potentially get settlement because under the immigration rules a conviction is not necessary. He warned the route, intended to protect vulnerable victims, was being abused by some who see it as a fast-track to settlement.
Parliamentary concerns
Concerns have been raised in Parliament. In November 2024, West Yorkshire Conservative MP Robbie Moore warned of a “worrying” trend of recent arrivals making allegations just weeks after arriving, by men and women, to accelerate settled status or avoid fees.
Help and contacts
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If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this story, help and support is available via BBC Action Line (https://www.bbc.co.uk/actionline/).
