Completing application form SET(DV)

This page contains general guidance on using application form SET(DV) to apply for permission to settle in the UK (also known as 'indefinite leave to remain') as a victim of domestic violence.

You should also read the detailed Guide SET(DV) before you complete the form. You will need to pay a fee when you make your application (unless you are exempt from paying the fee because you are destitute), and we will not refund your fee if we refuse your application or if you withdraw it.

You can download the form and guidance documents from the right side of this page.

Can I apply using this form?

To be able to apply for settlement as the husband, wife, civil partner or unmarried/same-sex partner of a permanent resident, you must normally have lived here legally for two years in this category and still be intending to live together in that relationship. The correct form to use is application form SET(M).

However, you may be able to apply for settlement using application form SET(DV) if:

  • you were given permission to come to the UK for up to 27 months or to extend your stay for two years as the husband, wife, civil partner, unmarried partner or same-sex partner of a permanent resident ( even if that permission is no longer valid) ; and
  • you were still in that relationship at the time when you came to the UK or extended your stay as their husband, wife, civil partner, unmarried partner or same-sex partner; and
  • you can produce evidence that the relationship has broken down permanently since then as a result of domestic violence.

You should make your application as soon as is practicably possible after your relationship has broken down as a result of domestic violence - you should not wait until the end of your current permission to remain. It is in your interests to apply as early as possible, so that we can deal with contemporary evidence.

You must be in the UK when you apply.

Can I include my dependants in my application?

You can use the same application form for a joint application by you and any children aged under 18, if they are applying as your dependants. Children over 18 must apply separately.

Making an application

You must provide evidence that you are a victim of domestic violence in Section 4 of the application form. You must answer the questions and provide relevant evidence, which must relate to violence committed against you by your partner and/or their family. Where available, evidence should come from the sources listed in Section 3 of the form, but you may also provide evidence from other sources. For more information about sources of evidence, see the Victims of domestic violence page.

Section 10 of the form lists the documents that you must send with your application. You should send the original documents, not copies. In exceptional circumstances, we may accept a photocopy that is certified as an accurate copy by the body or authority that issued the original, or by a notary, but you must include a letter explaining why you are providing a certified copy rather than the original document.

You will need to include a fee with your application, unless you are exempt from paying that fee because you are destitute. Part 4 of Guide SET(DV) describes the evidence you must provide to prove that you are destitute.

You must post your application to the address given on the form. For this type of application you cannot apply in person at one of our public enquiry offices.

We cannot tell in advance how long it will take to decide your application, so you should not make non-urgent travel plans until we have returned your passport to you. Our service standards for processing applications show how quickly we aim to make a decision.

You must complete the form in block capitals using a black pen. Please enter all dates as dd-mm-yyyy (for example, 29-04-2000).

More information

  • Application fees for settling in the UK using form SET(LR)

    Fee if you are applying by post
    Main applicant £1051
    Children aged under 18 (if they are applying at the same time as the main applicant) £788 for each child included on the main applicant's application form
     Children aged under 18 (if they apply separately from  the main applicant)  £1051 for each child included on the main applicant's application form


     

     

     

     
  • How to pay your application fee if you are inside the UK

    If you are applying online, you must pay your fee online as part of your application.

    If you are applying by post or courier, you can choose how to pay your application fee:

    • By cheque in sterling on a UK bank account. The application form will tell you who to make the cheque payable to, you should write your full name and date of birth on the back, and attach the cheque to the front of the completed application form. 
    • With a UK postal order. You should write your full name and date of birth on the back, and attach the postal order to the front of the completed application form. 
    • With a credit or debit card - American Express, MasterCard, Visa (including Electron), Delta or Maestro (including Solo). For postal and courier payments, we accept only Maestro cards issued in the UK. You must include the card number, the amount paid, the payer's name as it appears on the card, the 'valid from' and expiry dates, the card verification value (CVV) code, the cardholder's signature and the date. The issue number is also needed for Maestro cards.

    If you are applying and paying in person at a public enquiry office, you can choose how to pay your application fee. For applications made in person at a public enquiry office, the total fee includes an additional fee of £375 for each person. This includes a £100 appointment fee, which may be retained should the applicant fail to attend their appointment without good reason.  Please check the relevant application form to find out if you can make an application in person.

    • With a UK postal order (except at our Glasgow and Cardiff offices). You should write your full name and date of birth on the back.
    • By banker's draft (except at our Glasgow and Cardiff offices). 
    • With a credit or debit card - American Express, MasterCard, Visa (including Electron), Delta or Maestro (including Solo). We can accept any Maestro card for payments at a public enquiry office. You must include the card number, the amount paid, the payer's name as it appears on the card, the 'valid from' and expiry dates, the card verification value (CVV) code, the cardholder's signature and the date. The issue number is also needed for Maestro cards. The cardholder must be present for the payment to be taken.

    Payment by any other method is not accepted.

    You must send the full amount to cover the total cost of your application. If you do not do this, your application will be invalid and will not be considered. We will return your application and part payment to you.

    We start considering the application when the payment has cleared. Payments are cleared:

    • after 5 working days for cheques
    • after 1 working day for credit or debit cards
    • immediately for postal orders

    Please note that, if you are making numerous payments using your credit card, the anti-fraud measures that banks operate sometimes stop payment being taken. This may be because you have exceeded the maximum limit on a single transaction or the number of transactions allowed in a given period of time. You must ensure that you contact your bank in advance, so that the bank will allow the full payment to be taken without any problems when you submit your applications.

    Payment information on the application form

    It is very important that you complete the payment section of the application form correctly. If this section contains errors, we will not be able to process your payment. This will mean that your application is invalid.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is my immigration status while my application is being decided? If you make an application before your authorised stay ends, your existing immigration status will continue until your application is decided, even if the decision is not made until after the end of your permitted stay. You can continue to work until your case is decided if the conditions of your existing leave allows you to do so.

Application forms

Application for permanent residence in the United Kingdom as a victim of domestic violence

Choose a different form

See also

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Terms explained

  • Civil partnership

    A legal relationship that can be registered by two people of the same sex and that gives the couple legal recognition for their relationship. In a range of legal matters, civil partners are treated the same as opposite-sex partners who are married.

  • Dependant

    Someone who depends on you financially, such as a husband, wife, partner, or child.

  • Indefinite leave to remain

    Indefinite leave to remain (often known as 'ILR' and 'settlement') is permission to remain in the UK without any time restrictions on the length of stay. It is not the same as naturalisation as a British citizen and may, in specific circumstances, be ceased or invalidated, for example, if a fraudulent application is uncovered, if the person resides outside of the UK for more than 2 years or as a result of a criminal conviction that results in a Deportation Order coming into force.

  • Limited leave to remain

    Permission to stay in the United Kingdom temporarily, for the length of time stated on your visa.

  • Notary

    A notary is also known as a notary public. A notary is a public official who is legally authorised to witness the signing of documents and perform other formal duties.

All glossary terms

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