Spouse Visa Financial Requirement 2023
As experienced spouse visa immigration lawyers, we have guided countless individuals through UK spouse visa financial requirements to apply for a UK Spouse visa. In this guide, we aim to simplify the UK spouse visa financial requirement, and tips to meet the financial requirement.
You and your partner must have a combined income of at least £18,600 a year if:
- you’re applying as a partner
- you want to settle in the UK (get ‘indefinite leave to remain’) within 5 years
The financial requirement for a spouse visa is designed to ensure that the UK sponsor has the means to support their partner without recourse to public funds.
Spouse Visa Financial Requirement and Exemptions 2023
The spouse visa financial requirement is also known as the ‘minimum income requirement’, stipulate that you and your partner must earn at least £18,600 a year combined. IMPORTANT: If you apply for a spouse visa extension after 2.5 years, you must still meet the financial requirement.
To qualify for entry clearance or leave to remain as a parent on the 5-year route to settlement the applicant must meet the financial requirements in Appendix FM – Family life as a partner. In addition to the financial requirement, you must meet all spouse visa requirements.
Contents
UK spouse visa financial requirement with child
If you need to prove extra money for your children, you’ll need to earn an extra:
- £3,800 a year for your first child
- £2,400 a year for each child you have after your first child
What counts as income for financial requirement
You and your partner can use:
- income from employment before tax and National Insurance (check your P60 or payslips) – you can only use your own income if you earn it in the UK
- income you earn from self-employment or as a director of a limited company in the UK – check your Self Assessment tax return
- cash savings above £16,000
- money from a pension
- non-work income, for example from property rentals or dividends
If you cannot meet the minimum income requirement
You need to show you and your partner meet the minimum income requirement if you want to settle in 5 years as a partner.
If you do not meet the requirements, you may be able to settle in 10 years.
If you require Immigration Advice Services or help with an immigration problem, please contact +441614644140 or email us at info@deluxelawchambers.co.uk for fast, professional, and affordable immigration advice from our highly experienced UK immigration lawyers. You can book an appointment online for a detailed immigration consultation.
Who needs to meet the financial requirement?
The financial requirement – in the form of the minimum income requirement, for those not exempt from it – needs to be met by those making an application in the following categories of Appendix FM:
• Family Life as a Partner
• Family Life as a Child of a person with limited leave as a Partner
Under paragraph A280(b) of Part 8 of the Immigration Rules, the financial requirement also needs to be met by those applying from 9 July 2012 as a child under paragraph 314(i)(a) or (d) (unless both parents are settled), or paragraph 316A(i)(d) or (e), where a parent who has adopted the child, or is doing so, is themselves subject to the financial requirement because they have or are applying for entry clearance or limited leave to remain as a partner under Appendix FM. Otherwise, the maintenance requirement applicable to the child applicant will be that contained in the relevant adoption rule in Part 8.
Spouse visa financial requirement exemptions
Where your partner is in receipt of certain benefits or allowances in the UK, you may be exempt from meeting the financial requirement for the spouse visas by providing evidence of “adequate maintenance”. This includes:
- Carer’s Allowance
- Disability Living Allowance
- Severe Disablement Allowance
- Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
- Attendance Allowance
- Personal Independence Payment
- Armed Forces Independence Payment or Guaranteed Income Payment under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme
- Constant Attendance Allowance, Mobility Supplement or War Disablement Pension under the War Pensions Scheme
- Police Injury Pension
If the applicant’s partner is in receipt of one of the above benefits or allowances on behalf of their child, the applicant will be able to qualify by meeting the financial requirement through ‘adequate maintenance’, with evidence specified in Appendix FM-SE:
All the following must be provided:
- official documentation from the Department for Work and Pensions or Veterans Agency or Police Pension Authority confirming the current entitlement and the amount currently received
- at least one personal bank statement in the 12-month period prior to the date of application, showing payment of the benefit or allowance to which the person is currently entitled into their account
The minimum income threshold will apply at the next application stage if the applicant’s partner is no longer in receipt of one of these benefits or allowances at that time.
Financial Requirement For Successful Spouse Visa
Unless exempt, the applicant must meet the financial requirement in the form of a minimum income requirement. The minimum income requirement for a Partner applying under Appendix FM from 9 July 2012 and for a Partner applying under Appendix Armed Forces from 1 December 2013, without dependent children, is £18,600.
If you are sponsoring a child at the same time (or at any time before the applicant reaches settlement), or where the sponsor is already sponsoring a child, the minimum income requirement increases and there is a higher financial requirement to be met. An additional gross annual income of £3,800 is required for the first child sponsored in addition to the partner and an additional £2,400 for each further child. The level of the financial requirement will therefore be:
- partner with no children or no children who are subject to the income requirement – £18,600
- 1 child in addition to the partner – £22,400
- 2 children in addition to the partner – £24,800
- 3 children in addition to the partner – £27,200
You can meet the spouse visa financial requirement through savings of £62,500.
Evidence to meet the financial requirement for a spouse visa
You’ll need to provide proof of your income with your application. If you or your partner are employed, you could include:
- bank statements showing you or your partner’s income
- 6 months of payslips
- a letter from an employer, dated and on headed paper
The employer’s letter should confirm:
- you or your partner are employed there
- the job title or position you or your partner hold
- how long you or your partner have worked there
- the type of contract (for example, permanent, fixed term)
- what you or your partner earn before tax and National Insurance
- how long you or your partner have been paid your current salary
- the payslips are genuine
You’ll be told exactly what documents to provide when you apply online.
Check the guidance in appendix FM 1.7: financial requirement if:
- you or your partner’s income is more complicated
- you or your partner have taken maternity or paternity leave in the last 6 months
- you want to combine different income sources
The detailed guidance also explains the evidence you need to provide for each of the types of income you’re relying on.
Calculating the financial requirement
Unless exempt, the applicant must meet the financial requirement in the form of a minimum income requirement. The minimum income requirement for a Partner applying under Appendix FM from 9 July 2012 and for a Partner applying under Appendix Armed Forces from 1 December 2013, without dependent children, is £18,600.
Sources for meeting the financial requirement
Where the applicant has to meet the minimum income requirement, the financial requirement can generally be met in the following 5 ways:
- income from salaried or non-salaried income under Category A or Category B
- non-employment income, for example, income from property rental or dividends from shares under category C
- cash savings under category D
- state (UK or foreign), occupational or private pension of the applicant’s partner and/or the applicant under Category E
- income from self-employment, and income as a director or employee under Category F or Category G
why choose deluxe law chambers for your Spouse visa application?
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What is the minimum financial requirement for spouse visa?
The minimum income requirement for a spouse visa (income threshold for spouse visa) is £18,600, plus any additional amount if you have children (as explained above).
How much money do you need for a UK spouse visa?
The spouse visa application requires the applicant and their UK based partner must have a minimum gross annual income of £18,600
Is UK spouse visa closing in 2024?
From January 2024, international students in the UK will no longer be able to bring dependants on their Student visa, unless they are studying a postgraduate research program.
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