How to Meet the Appendix FM Financial Requirements?

Even those who have sufficient income to meet the Appendix FM financial requirements for spouse and partner visas may find themselves caught off guard. Just having the money won’t get you very far; the income has to come from a specific place, be measured in a certain way, and be backed up by clear proof that it is authentic.

For husband and partner visas, there are two financial requirements: 

• a minimum income requirement and 
• a requirement for a suitable place to live. 

In this guide, we will only talk about the appendix fm immigration rules and financial requirements

To understand the minimum income standard, you can look at three different sources: 

• Appendix FM, 
• Appendix FM-SE, and the 
• Home Office policy guidance that goes with them. 

What is Appendix FM, Appendix FM-SE, and policy guidance?

Appendix FM indicates “Family Migration” (the “FM” in the acronym). This lays out the rules for several different types of family applications. Under “Family life with a partner,” you can find the rules for applying for a spouse or partner visa.

“Family Migration – Specified Evidence” is the abbreviation for Appendix FM-SE. It has another set of rules explaining how to style supporting documents. More importantly, it explains how to figure out different kinds of income.

The Home Office’s policy guidance may be the most valuable document. It gives useful work examples that show how the cash requirement changes depending on the source of income.

These sources will be used together to give you a complete picture of the money you need to apply for a spouse visa or partner visa.

What is Appendix FM’s financial requirement?

To put it simply, the best way to go about this is to first figure out what your base income requirement is. Because children make it higher. After that, you need to check to see if you have enough proof to show that you meet that condition.

People who apply under Appendix FM as a partner for the first time on or after April 11, 2024, must make at least £29,000 a year. This requirement doesn’t go up if children are also applying.

Before April 11, 2024

Appendix FM requires a partner without children to have a minimum income of £18,600 if they were on this visa before April 11, 2024. When a candidate includes dependent children in their application, the threshold goes up.

Any individual who is not a British citizen or permanent resident is considered a dependent child in this context. This applies to individuals under the age of 18. It also applies to those who were under 18 at the time of their initial visa application. It is defined in Appendix FM.

For the first child, the bar goes up by £3,800. For each additional child, it goes up by £2,400, up to a maximum of £29,000. So that it doesn’t go over the threshold after April 11, 2024.

Home Office Proof of Employment Income

Paragraph A1 of Appendix FM-SE says that applicants must meet the minimum income level for the date they are applying in order to meet the Appendix FM financial requirements. They must also ensure the income comes from a legal source or a mix of legal sources. It must cover the appropriate time period. Additionally, it needs to be supported by the specific proof required by the rules.

Paragraph 2 FM-SE

In Appendix FM-SE, paragraph 2, lists the specific proof needs when depending on employment income. Payslips, a letter from an employer, and bank records showing income must be formatted to display specific details. This ensures acceptance by the Home Office.

This rule explains how to do that.

When income comes from a certain limited company, different rules need to be followed. In line with Clause 9 of Appendix FM-SE, 

• If the individual’s income is dependent on their position as an employee or director of a firm, or of a company in the same group, then
• They have direct or indirect shares, or their partner or some family members do; and
• None of the other shares are owned directly or indirectly by more than five people;

The Appendix FM Financial Requirements (Version 9.0) from the Home Office says that this kind of job income can’t be used to meet Category A or B requirements. Instead, only Categories F or G can be used to count income from a certain limited business. This is because people who work in small or family-run businesses often use this route. So the Home Office will want to make sure the business is real. Because of this, the requirements for specified proof are stricter than for Category A or B applications.

The financial requirements are explained in more detail in our article Spouse visa financial requirements.

As a result, proof of work must meet the following conditions, unless paragraph 9 applies:

Time period

Par. 2(2) says that an applicant’s proof of work must include either

• Six months before the application is sent in if they have been working for the same company for at least six months; or
• Any salaried work done in the 12 months before the application date, if the applicant has only been working for their present company for 6 months.

When you have a salaried job, you receive a minimum fixed amount of money every month or year. Typically, you are required to work a certain number of hours each week.

The situation falls under Category B if the person has been unemployed for six months. Alternatively, it falls under Category B if they earn enough to meet the minimum wage in less time.

If someone wants to apply, they must have made more than the minimum income threshold in their six months before the application. For example, if a person has been working for six months and making a gross annual pay of £30,000, and their salary went up to £32,000 two months ago, that £30,000 will be used as proof of their income for the application. 

Letter from Employer

As stated in paragraph 2(b), an employer’s letter must confirm:

• The person whose salary is being depended on and what they do for a living;
• Their gross salary a year;
• For how long they’ve worked for the company;
• How long they’ve been making their current salary (the number used in the application);
• If the job is regular, temporary, or through an agency, describe it.

If the applicant’s salary went up in the six months before the application, the employer must list the time period during which the applicant was paid the earlier salary to meet point 

(iii). From the above case, it follows that the employer would have to say how long the applicant had been making a gross annual salary of £30,000 and when the rise to £32,000 started.

To make sure that applicants get a letter from their employers that meets the standards for proof, our UK immigration solicitors can give them advice and help.

Payslips

For a Category A application, the payslips must cover the six months before the application. This means that if someone applies on January 1, 2024, and gets their payslips on the 15th of every month, they should also show the payslip from June 15, 2023, to July 15, 2023, to cover the time period that was used. To make sure the necessary time frame is met, our immigration barristers are here to help.

Figure 1(bb) of Appendix FM-SE states that the payslips need to be official ones. You can ask your company for these, or employees can often get them on their own through online portals. The payslips must make it clear that:

• The name of the employer
• Name of the applicant
• All necessary income and deductions from the six months before the application

If you don’t have your official payslips with you, you must include a letter from your boss that is on company letterhead and signed by a top official to prove that the payslips are real. In this case, the confirmation can be added to the employer letter listed below, which also requires proof, but it needs to be signed by a top official. 

Bank Statements

The applicant is required to submit bank statements from the account that are used to support their application. It’s a good idea to make sure that the amounts going into and out of the bank account match the amounts shown on each pay stub.

The first part (a) of Appendix FM-SE says that bank records must:

• Follow the rules in Appendix Finance when it comes to regulation;
• The account must clearly be in the name of the applicant or supporter (depending on whose income is being used in the application), or it must be a joint account;
• Include the necessary time frame, which for Category A applications is 6 months of monthly salary payments and for Category B applications is the duration of employment;
• Are in the right format, either on
  • Printed by the bank in an office, official bank stationery; or
  • Electronic statements come with either a letter from the bank on official bank stationery proving that the statements are real or a stamp from the bank on each page.

FIN 2.1

The appendix Finance will apply to a financial institution with a suitable regulatory body overseeing it. It must also use electronic record-keeping systems.

The decision maker must be able to do good verification checks. It is important to note that some online banks in the UK are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and may not meet the standards. Guidance – Financial Requirement (Version 7.0) from the Home Office goes into more detail about the requirements that a person’s funds must meet in order to be considered.

The account can be held in the name of either the applicant the sponsor, or both. However, it must clearly show the right amount of monthly income.

Before the application submission, the bank statements should show a continuous six-month time.

As a result, applicants should pay attention to the dates on their monthly bank statements. So that they can easily show their income over the last six months. For instance, if the money comes in on the 15th of every month and the statements run from the 1st to the 31st, it might be necessary to ask for a brief shortened statement that covers the whole month.

Need Assistance?

To learn more about Appendix FM financial requirements set by the Immigration Rules, call our lawyers at 02033844389. If you need to discuss an application under Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules, please reach out to our team.