Immigration status after separation or divorce

Katerina Galkina · EN · 07/10/2026

Identify what your permission depends on

If you have limited permission as a spouse, partner or dependant of another visa holder, separation can affect your basis for remaining in the UK. GOV.UK says you must usually notify the Home Office ↗ when the relationship ends. Consider the actual separation, rather than only the eventual final divorce order.

Find your decision letter and check the route, expiry date and conditions. An independent work visa, indefinite leave and limited family permission need different assessments. The official guidance expressly provides an exception for BN(O) visa holders: notification is not required, and extension or settlement may remain possible after the relationship ends.

Notify the Home Office safely

The government page provides an online notification service and a postal procedure. A postal notification requires details of you and your former partner, passport numbers and Home Office references. Where there are children, it also asks about their living arrangements and relevant family proceedings. Keep evidence of submission.

The postal process offers a public statement option if you do not want the Home Office to share details of your letter with your former partner. If abuse is a concern, discuss a safe correspondence address and account access with an independent adviser. Do not give your former partner your UKVI password to resolve the immigration issue.

Assess another route promptly

The guidance on staying after separation ↗ identifies possible routes including work permission, a qualifying parent application, private life and other categories. Separate rules allow some survivors of domestic abuse to apply for settlement. Having a child or spending many years in the UK does not automatically establish eligibility.

Collect your current visa decision, documents about children and parental responsibilities, your residence history and evidence relevant to a possible new route. Seek an assessment before applying: choosing the wrong form can cost time and money. Do not wait for the eVisa expiry date. There is no universal rule giving everyone 60 days from the date of separation; the actual deadline depends on circumstances, including Home Office decisions and notices.

EUSS family cases have separate provisions

Some family members of EU citizens may retain a right after divorce. The EUSS family guidance ↗ includes provisions involving a specified marriage and residence history, custody or access to a child, and particularly difficult circumstances. Your former partner's agreement does not replace these eligibility conditions.

Choose an adviser using the official immigration adviser finder ↗. Ask for written advice on the appropriate route, deadline, evidence and total fees. Divorce, housing disputes and immigration applications may proceed alongside each other, but each requires its own assessment.