Spouse Visa Financial Requirements

Building a life with your loved one shouldn’t be a financial hurdle. To get a Spouse visa in the UK, you have to fulfil the spouse visa financial requirements. These requirements are quite strict.

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What are UK Spouse Visa Financial Requirements?

If you want to become a partner of someone in the UK and apply for a Spouse/Partner Visa, you must meet a minimum income standard, unless you are exempt.

If a partner filing under Appendix FM does not have any children who depend on them, they must make at least £29,000 a year.

The money needed can come from many different places. These include wages from a job or self-employment, a pension, and non-work earnings like rent. Cash savings of more than £16,000 can help you meet the minimum income requirement. Also, savings of more than £65,000 can meet it on their own.

If you work in the UK and make money, you can also use that money because it will add to the household income. You may not have to pay the money if certain conditions are met.

Legal professionals at UK Immigration Solicitors have been helping people get the UK Spouse Visa for decades. Our team will double-check that you meet the needs. They will ensure you have enough proof of your income and that all the necessary paperwork is completed. An experienced visa adviser can help you make the best application possible, increasing your chances of success.

Call us at 02033844389 or email us to discuss your Spouse Visa application.

Overview: Spouse Visa Financial Requirements

Sources of Income That Meet the Minimum Income Threshold

If you don’t have any children who rely on you, the basic minimum requirement for the Spouse visa is £29,000.

Unofficially, there are two main types of income: income from work and income from other sources.

Income from Work

To meet the financial standards for a spouse visa, you can get money from the following sources:

The sponsor’s salary from a job in the UK for the spouse visa
When the sponsor returns to the UK with the Spouse visa applicant, they might be able to use a job offer from a UK company that pays enough to meet the standards.
Their UK-based income, but only if they are already in the UK and have permission to work.
Self-employment income as a single trader, a partner, or employee of a franchise
Interest from a non-specified limited company’s dividends
Income from a certain limited company in the form of dividends
Savings of cash
You can use your savings to either lower your minimum income or meet it in full, depending on how much you have saved.
Benefits from public, private, or work pensions
Getting money from renting out homes

Income from Non-Employment

You can meet the financial standards for a spouse visa by getting money from any of the following sources:

If you have bonds, trust funds, stocks, or earnings from non-specified limited companies, you can get income from these sources.
a grant or stipend is given to help pay for living costs while doing suitable undergraduate or graduate study or research
Some grants or benefits, like the Widowed Parent’s Allowance, the Bereavement Payment, the Bereavement Allowance, and the UK Maternity Allowance
Moreover, savings interest
Money given out through the Armed Forces Attributable Benefits Scheme, the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme, and the War Pensions Scheme
ongoing payments for royalties.
Regular payouts from a structured settlement
Additionally, regular payments for insurance

Income Categories for Spouse Visa

The above list of income sources can all be put into one of seven groups.

These categories make it easy to find out what the specific requirements and eligibility standards are for each Spouse visa application.

This is because some things are very different for different types of income, like how gross annual income is measured.

In addition, these groups make it easy to see which types of income can be added together to reach the minimum level and which ones cannot.

Income Categories

For a general idea, the types of income are as follows:

In Group A: salary or non-salary pay from work for a non-specified limited company for at least six months

Category B: salary or non-salary income from work for a non-specified limited company for less than six months

C Category: Income from sources other than work, like rent from buildings

Category D: Cash savings

E Category: Pension income

Category F: Working for yourself as a sole trader, in a partnership, as a franchisee, or working for a certain limited company and getting dividends

Category G: works as a sole trader, in a partnership or business, or for a certain limited company and gets dividends; but only for the last two full financial years.

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Ways to Calculate Money from Category A

Before you can figure out how much money you make from Category A as a whole, you need to know if your pay is salaried or not.

When you agree to work a certain number of hours and are paid a set amount every week, that’s called salaried income.

Non-salaried income usually means that you get paid based on how much work you do, and your hours may change from time to time.

How to Figure Out Category A’s Salaried Income

For the financial requirements for spouse visa, you must calculate your salaried income by multiplying the lowest salary payment you made in the six months before your application date by:

12, if you get your salary every month, or
52, if the pay is sent every week

For instance, if your lowest monthly salary in the six months before the application date was £1,800, you would need to multiply this number by 12. This would give you a total yearly salary of £21,600, which is less than the basic minimum income threshold.

Methods for Calculating Category A Non-Salaried Income

To figure out your non-salaried income for the Spouse visa income requirement, add up all of your gross income from the six months before your application.

Then you need to divide this number by 6 and then multiply it by 12.

In this case, if your total gross pay over the six months was £11,000, you need to divide that number by six to get £1833.33. You will then need to multiply by 12. This will give you £22,000, which is less than the basic minimum income minimum.

Our experienced UK immigration Solicitors can help you with your immigration process.

Calculate Income from Category B

Before you can figure out how much money you make from Category B, you need to know if your pay is salaried or not.

When you agree to work a certain number of hours and are paid a set amount every week, that’s called salaried income.

Non-salaried income usually means that you get paid based on how much work you do, and your hours may change from time to time.

For Category B, you need to pass two tests and have enough money to comply with all the rules. If you fail either of the tests, you will need to find another source of income to make up the difference in order to meet the cash requirements for the Spouse visa.

Tests about Category B’s Salaried Income

If you have a salaried income from group B and want to get a spouse visa, you have to pass two tests:

At the time you apply, your gross yearly salary must be more than the minimum amount.
Additionally, you must have made more than the minimum amount of money in the 12 months before you apply.

A signed contract of work or your most recent payslip can help you figure out your gross annual salary.

To make sure you meet the minimum requirement, raise either your monthly payment by 12 or your weekly payment by 52.

Our experienced UK immigration Solicitors can help you with your immigration process.

Tests for Category B Non-Salaried Income

If you have non-salaried income from group B and want to get a spouse visa, you have to pass two tests:

Your average yearly salary must be more than the minimum amount of money.
Additionally, you must have made more than the minimum income level in the 12 months prior to the application date.

Before you can figure out your average annual pay, you need to add up all the money you’ve made (before taxes) during your entire job.

Then you need to divide this number by the number of days, weeks, or months you’ve worked for your current employer, based on whether you get paid daily, weekly, or monthly, and then:

For daily payments, multiply this number by 365. or
If you get paid every week, multiply this number by 52.
Additionally, if you are paid every month, multiply this number by 12.

After this, the last number will be your average yearly pay.

Our experienced UK immigration Solicitors can help you with your immigration process.

What is the formula for calculating my income from Category C?

When it comes to income in Category C, you usually have to add up all the money you made in the 12 months before the application date.

However, keep in mind that this rule may not apply if you combine your Category C income with income from another category.

This group only needs to include rental income from a property if it is owned by a third party. Otherwise, it needs to include income from your share of the property.

How Do I Determine Income From Category D?

You must use a certain method to figure out what percentage of the minimum income requirement you may be able to meet with cash savings in order to get a Spouse visa.

This is how the formula works:

Choose the lowest amount of money that you have saved in the six months before the application date.
Taking £16,000 away from this number
Take this amount and divide it by 2.5.

By using this formula, you can see that you will need to save at least £88,500 in cash to meet the standard for the Spouse visa.

The minimum income level can also be lowered with cash savings. The gap can be made up with other income.

Calculate Category E Income

To get a Spouse visa, you need to make at least the following amounts of money each month:

Include the amount of gross annual pension income that you are getting at the time of your application.
Must have been getting money from the pension for at least 28 days before applying.

Our experienced UK immigration Solicitors can help you with your immigration process.

How Do I Determine My Income from Category F?

If you get money from a job or a limited business through dividends, you need to add the gross total of this income that was reported in the last full financial year.

To find this out, you can look at your company tax report (or CT600).

In the meantime, if you work for yourself, you will need to report all of your gross taxable gains from your part of the business in the last full fiscal year.

Self-assessment tax periods usually run from April 6 to April 5 of each year. This last full financial year will be the last full turn of these tax periods.

When you apply for a spouse visa, this income from self-employment must still be a source of income for you.

Our experienced UK immigration Solicitors can help you with your immigration process.

How can I calculate how much money I made in category G?

For income from a job and dividends from a certain limited company, you need to include the gross total of these types of income that were reported in the last two full financial years.

To find out, you can look at the last two tax forms (or CT600s) for your business.

After that, you need to find the average of these two financial years. To do this, add the two numbers together and then divide the result by 2.

For self-employed people, the total gross taxable earnings from their share of the business over the last two full financial years must be declared.

Self-assessment tax periods usually run from April 6 to April 5 of each year. The last two full financial years will be the last two full rounds of these tax periods.

Our experienced UK immigration Solicitors can help you with your immigration process.

Can I get a spouse visa with more than one source of income?

Most of the time, you can combine different types of income to meet the minimum income standard for a Spouse visa, as long as you meet the specific requirements and rules for each type.

Only certain types of groups will not let you put them together. As a general rule, the following list shows the types of income you won’t be able to mix to meet the minimum income requirement:

Category A and Category B can’t be merged.
It is not possible to combine Category B with Category A.
Categories F and G cannot be put together with Group D.
Category D and G cannot be combined with Group F.
Category F and D cannot be merged with Category G.

It is important to keep in mind that mixing sources of income for the Spouse visa can be a very difficult process. Depending on which types of income you want to combine, there may be different rules and requirements. There are also strict rules about how to figure out your combined income.

For more information on how to combine income sources to meet the financial requirements for a spouse visa, call 02033844389 or email us at hello@ukimmigrationsolicitors.co.uk. One of our legal advisors will give you expert, and personalised help.

Financial Documents Guidelines

When you apply for the Spouse visa, you will need to show proof in the form of documents that you meet the minimum financial standards.

Before you send in your documents, you should read Appendix FM-SE. It has thorough instructions on what forms these documents should take and which ones can be used as proof.

Here is a short, non-exhaustive list of some of the papers you may need to send with your application, along with some specific instructions on how they should look:

Statements from banks on official bank paper
As long as they come with a letter from the bank on official bank stationery confirming that the papers are real, you can get electronic bank statements.
Passbooks or make statements about society. It must be clear on passbooks:
- Account number
- The building society’s logo as well as name.
- Need relevant details on transactions, funds held, and time spans
Letters from banks, credit unions, and other banks and financial organisations. Letters must be on letterhead and make it clear that:
- Account number
- The letter’s date
- The name and image of the bank
Transaction, fund, and time range information that is relevant:
Financial institution letters from the Financial Conduct Authority, the Prudential Regulation Authority, or a foreign equivalent
Payslips from employers. These must have the employer’s name on them or come with a letter from the employer on company letterhead that is signed by a top official to prove they are real.

Keep in mind that documents that aren’t written in English or Welsh need to be sent with a verified translation into one of those languages.

Our experienced UK immigration Solicitors can help you with your immigration process.

Spouse Visa Financial Requirement Exemptions

The minimum income requirement for a spouse visa will not be met if you (the main applicant) or your husband or partner (the sponsor) receive any of the following benefits from the UK:

Allowance to Live on Disability
Disability Benefit for Work-Related Injuries
Attendance Allowance
Payment for Personal Independence
Allowance for Serious Disabilities
Guaranteed Income or Payment for Independence for the Armed Forces
You will get money through the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.
Allowance for Constant Attendance, Mobility Supplement, or War
Pension for disabled people under the War Pensions Scheme
Benefits from bereavement
Pension for Police Injuries
If either of you gets these benefits, you will have to show proof of “adequate maintenance” for yourself and your children.

Along with your passport application, you must also send the following to the Home Office:

Proof from the Department for Work and Pensions, the Veterans Agency, or the Police Pension Authority that the person is currently eligible for benefits and receiving them
At least one personal bank record from the 12 months before the application date that shows the benefit or allowance was paid into the account.

Our experienced UK immigration Solicitors can help you with your immigration process.

What If I Don't Make the Minimum Income?

Not having enough money to meet the minimum income requirement might not stop you from applying for a Spouse visa in some rare cases.

For example, even if you don’t meet the cash requirements, any of the following may still help your Spouse visa application:

If your child is a British citizen or has lived in the UK for seven years, forcing them to leave the UK would be unfair and harsh.
Additionally, if living outside of the UK would cause you and your partner major problems,
If not giving you a visa would uniquely violate your human rights, or if it would have unfairly bad effects on you, your husband, or your children, you should be able to appeal.

It’s important to remember, though, that the Home Office and each immigration agent make their own decisions. There’s no way to know how closely the Home Office will follow these rules or define them when they look at your case.

In some situations, the Home Office may only let you use other legitimate ways to make money.

On the other hand, if there is a strong reason, they may drop the minimum income level in some situations.

Also, keep in mind that if your Spouse visa application is approved even though you don’t have enough money, you will probably be put on the 10-year path to indefinite leave to stay instead of the standard 5-year path.

Our experienced UK immigration Solicitors can help you with your immigration process.

How UK Immigration Solicitors Can Help?

Our experienced immigration lawyers can help you with all of your needs and give you information to make sure you meet the financial requirements for the Spouse visa and other UK immigration rules.

These are our services:

Make sure that the documents you have are enough for your application;
Evaluating your ability to pay for a Spouse Visa;
Additionally, make a Letter of Representation that explains your case and why it should be accepted to go with your application. This letter will help your application by telling the Home Office about your cash situation;
Communicating with the Home Office on your behalf;
Give careful thought to every part of your application form.

If you are seeking a UK spouse visa, the attorneys at UK Immigration Solicitors have you covered with decades of experience. Our team will double-check that you meet the needs. They will ensure you have enough proof of your income and that all the necessary paperwork is completed. An experienced visa adviser can help you make the best application possible, increasing your chances of success.

Call us at 02033844389 or email us to discuss your Spouse Visa application. Our offices are spread out across the UK, in London, Manchester, Birmingham, and many other places. We’re excited to help you with your visa case.

Our experienced UK immigration Solicitors can help you with your immigration process.

Frequently Asked Questions

Hidden

Most of the time, a child needs a visa in order to live in the UK. For instance, if their parent is a foreign national working or studying in the country, the child may need a Child Dependant Visa.

Can I combine source income?

To meet your financial needs, you will be able to combine cash from different sources. Some of these are:

pay from a job or business, as long as you’ve been making that much for at least six months;
a pension;
pay for maternity, paternity, adoption, or sick leave;
pay from sources other than work, like rent or shares;
They can save more than £16,000 if they hold them for more than six months.

Can my salary cover Family Visa costs?

You can only use your pay to support your application if you live and work in the UK. If you need money and your child turns 18 before you can apply for settlement, you can use their income to fulfil the financial requirement.

Can I get a spouse visa without enough money?

The Home Office has to look at certain situations if the UK sponsor doesn’t meet the minimum financial standard because of recent changes to immigration law. Numerous income sources are taken into account while making decisions about Spouse Visa applications as of August 10th, 2017. Those possible exceptions or factors have already been described on this page.

This may provide hope to some candidates who have previously had their Spouse/Partner Visas denied, or who have been put off applying.

What if my UK Spouse visa funds are in a foreign currency?

It will be possible for you to meet the UK Spouse visa financial requirement 2024 with money from outside the UK.

The Home Office will use the exchange rate that shows up on the official website on the day you apply to turn your money into pounds sterling.

Difference between specified and non-specified limited companies?

It’s crucial to know the difference between a non-specified limited company and a specified limited company because it will affect which type of income you need to fill out your tax return.

This means that the business is a non-specified limited company if no one in your family, your spouse’s family, or your own family owns shares in the business.

If you work for or are a director of the company and hold shares in it, along with your spouse or your partner’s family, the company will be called a “specified limited company” if there are less than five other people who also hold shares.

The following are examples of family members covered under this definition:

Brothers
Children
Sisters
Stepchildren
Grandparents
Grandchildren
Uncles
Nephews
Aunts
First cousins
Nieces

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