In west London since 1979#
Southall Black Sisters has worked from Southall, in west London, since 1979. It supports Black and minoritised women to live free from violence, and its services are delivered by and for them. Its campaigning has long focused on women whose immigration status traps them: it lobbied for the concessions that now let some abused women stay in the UK, and it was the first group to draw attention to women abandoned abroad by their husbands. It is exempted by the immigration advice regulator to give immigration advice.
Contacting SBS#
The helpline page gives the hours as Monday to Thursday, 10am to 4pm. The line is busy, so you may need to leave a voicemail with your name and a safe number or email address. You can also email the helpline. Its advisers speak several languages and can arrange an interpreter for others. SBS is not a 24-hour service and points to the National Domestic Abuse Helpline for refuge space or urgent advice.
Before you get in touch, SBS suggests checking whether your device can be seen or monitored, and writing its details on paper instead of saving them. Full casework is for women with current or recent abuse who live in Ealing, Hounslow or Hillingdon, but anyone can use the helpline. Professionals refer through an agency referral form.
No recourse to public funds#
Many women who come to SBS are in the UK on spousal, student or visitor visas carrying the "no recourse to public funds" condition, which bars most benefits, social housing and, in practice, most refuges. SBS's pages set out the first steps: call the police in danger whatever your status, speak to a qualified immigration adviser, and contact a local domestic abuse service, which can apply to the SBS No Recourse Fund for safe accommodation and living costs. The fund is a last resort, supported by grants including the Home Office's Support for Migrant Victims scheme. SBS can advise on whether the Domestic Violence Rule, a route to settlement for some abused partners, applies to you.
A new name when your status depends on a visa#
A UK deed poll changes your name for UK records, such as your bank, GP and council, but it does not change your immigration record. GOV.UK's eVisa pages ask for an identity document showing the new name before the UKVI account can be updated, and they rule out a name change at all while a visa decision is pending. Only your own country can issue that passport, and some countries do not accept a UK deed poll. GOV.UK also says there is a different way to update your details if you do not have an identity document in the new name, which matters if contacting your embassy is not safe. Talk to an immigration adviser before changing your name if an application is pending or planned.
More on immigration and names#
- Changing your name on your eVisa: the order to do things in.
- Can I use a UK deed poll for a passport from another country?
- Changing your name if you are not a British citizen.
- Charities that help after domestic abuse.
This page describes what Southall Black Sisters publishes on its website, read on 26 October 2026. Southall Black Sisters has not reviewed it, and listing it here does not mean it recommends this handbook or any deed poll service.
