What are the nancial requirement for UK spouse visa – updated 2023
UKFamilyMigrationVisas | 8 minRead
Whatare the nancial requirementforUK spouse visa –updated2023
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2023GuideFinancialrequirementforUKspousevisabyThe SmartMove2UK! TheSmartMove2UK•ByTheSmartMove2UK•Oct06,2022
OurUKvisa experts have received manyqueries online withthe searchterm, marriage visa nancialrequirement or nancialrequirementfora UKSpouse visa application If youre applying as a couple,yoursponsormustearnatleast£18,600 annually,orthe sponsorand applicantifthe applicantis inthe UKwithpermissiontowork.
As perthe ImmigrationRules’AppendixFMlists,the minimal nancialstandards must be metforentryclearance orpermissiontoremain This article’s focus is onthe nancial requirementforUKspouse visa
Among the various documentationand language requirements forUKspouse visa 2023, meeting the nancialrequirementforUKSpouse visa is one ofthe trickiestaspects of applying as a spouse orpartner
Here’s a UKSpouse visa Application–FinancialrequirementGuide 2023 where our experts have created a UKSpouse visa Financialrequirementchecklist
Table of Content
UKSpouse visa Financialrequirementchecklist
Financialrequirementfora UKSpouse visa applicationand howtoprove it Ifbringing yourchildren(non-nationals)
Whatcounts as proofof nancialsubsistence and documents toprove nancial subsistence fora UKSpouse visa?
Whatis considered income?
Proofofincome
Whatifyou/yourpartnerearnless than£18600?
Differentways tomeet nancialrequirements
CategoryA–Sponsorinthe UK
CategoryA–Sponsorreturning tothe UKwiththe applicant
CategoryB–Sponsorinthe UK
CategoryB–Sponsorreturning tothe UKwiththe applicant
CategoryC–non-employmentincome
CategoryD–Cashsavings
CategoryE –Pension
CategoryF and G–self-employmentand directorships
Spouse visa FinancialExemptions –2023
Whathappens ifyoudon’tmeetthe nancialrequirementfora UKSpouse visa or failtoprovide speci ed evidence?
Doyouneed help?
FAQ’s UKSpouse visa nancial requirementchecklist
Ifyouare applying as a couple and wishtoobtain“inde nite leave toremain”within ve years inthe UK the sponsormustearnatleast£18600 annually Ifthe visa holderis permitted toworkinthe UK,thenthe couple’s income canbe combined
Financial requirementfora UKSpouse visa application and howto prove it
Whensubmitting yourapplication,youmustinclude income documentation The following willhelp youunderstand howyoucanprove tomeetthe income requirement:
Youand/oryourpartnermustearnanannualsalaryof£18,600 ormore
Youmustprovide bankrecords demonstrating youroryourpartner’s earnings
Youmustprovide 6 months’worthofpaystubs plus a signed,date-stamped letter fromthe employer
The letterfromthe employershould attest:
Youoryourpartnerworkthere,whatyouoryourpartnerdothere,and how long youoryourpartnerhave worked there
The kind ofagreement(forexample,permanent, xed term)
Youroryourspouse’s annualincome before taxes and nationalinsurance
Howlong have youoryourspouse received yourpresentpay?
The payslips mustbe authentic Whenyouapplyonline,you’llbe advised exactlywhichdocuments toprovide
If bringing your children (non-nationals)
Ifyouhave kids who:
are notnationals ofIreland orBritain have notyetbeenresolved are notresiding permanentlyinthe UK
Youmightnotneed toshowthatyouhave extra funds tosupportthem
Youwillneed additionalfunds tolookafteryourchildreninthe UK:
£3,800 –as anannualcostforyour rstchild
£2,400 –foreachadditionalchild youhave
This is the “minimumincome requirement”partofthe nancialrequirementfora UK Spouse visa application Youdonotneed tomeetthis criterionifyourchild is ofBritish nationality
Interesting read:EligibilityrequirementforUKspouse visa
Whatcounts as proof of nancial subsistence and documents to prove nancial subsistence fora UKSpouse visa?
Financialsubsistence means youcansustainyourself–afford youraccommodation
dailyexpenses etcwhile inthe UK
OurteamofUKimmigrationexperts inMumbai,Delhi&Bengaluruhave received many queries about nancialsubsistence forthe UKSpouse visa Itcanhelp tounderstand the rightrequirements and knowimportanttips tomake a successfulUKSpouse visa application
Here,proofof nancialsubsistence means showing speci ed evidence toprove youcan supportyourself nanciallyinthe UK
Toprove this youcanprovide the following:
Bankstatements forthe last3 months (withthe name and address ofthe applicant)
CoverLetterfromthe bank
Employmentletter(youoryourpartner)
Payslips mustbe authentic
Savings mustbe accessible (this means youmustbe able towithdrawthem wheneveryouwant)
The documents mustnotbe dated more than28 days before the applicationis submitted
Smart Tip
The necessaryincome and/orsavings canbe proveninmanyways Income from differentsources canbe combined insome circumstances butnotinothers
✔Experts atThe SmartMove2UKreveal3 essentialpoints anapplicantshould rememberbefore applying fora Spouse visa UKExtension
Whatis considered‘income’?
Income fromemploymentbefore taxand NationalInsurance (checkyourP60 or payslips) is whatyouand yourpartnercanuse Youcanonlyuse yourincome ifyouearnitinthe UK
Income fromself-employmentorserving as a directorofa limited companyinthe UKis reported onyourSelfAssessmenttaxreturn
Cashsavings above £16,000 (notincome) and pensionincome are examples of non-workincome
Income received fromdividends,rent,etc
Proof of yourincome
Tomeetthe nancialrequirementfora UKSpouse visa application,youwillhave to provide proofofyourincome
Letterfromthe employer
Sixconsecutive months ofemploymentare required before the application, Evidence ofself-employmentmustbe ofthe mostrecent nancialyear
The Sponsor’s (orApplicant’s) bankaccountmusthave held the excess savings for a minimumof6 months
Whatif you/yourpartnerearn less than £18,600?
The necessaryincome and/orsavings canbe proveninmanyways Income from differentsources canbe combined insome circumstances butnotinothers
This is forthose whose sponsors don’tmake £18,600 a yearorsomeone whorecently started a newjob,orwhomightotherwise be having trouble meeting the criteria
Here are the differentways you can meetthe nancial requirements:
Category A
Whenthe sponsor(and/orthe applicant,iftheyare inthe UKwithauthorisationto work),has worked forthe same employerforatleastsixmonths,income canbe included inthis category The sponsormayworkfora salaryorwithoutone Non-salaried employmentis de ned as workthatis paid onanhourlybasis orat anotherrate (withthe numberand/orpatternofhours required tobe worked being exible)
The sponsors payforthe preceding sixmonths,iftheyhave a salaried position, mustbe equaltoormore thanthe required minimumincome
Whenthe sponsoris innon-salaried employment,theywillhave tocalculate the annualequivalentoftheiraverage gross monthlyincome fromnon-salaried employmentinthe sixmonths before the date ofapplication This means thatthey have toadd up theiractualgross income received inthe lastsixmonths divide by sixtoobtaina monthlyaverage,and multiplyby12,togetthe annualaverage Ifthe totalincome is belowthe required threshold,itis possible tocombine itwith CategoryC,Dand E (non-employmentincome,cashsavings and pension),which we willlookatbelow,tomeetthe requirement
Category A – Sponsor returning to the UK with the applicant
Itis a differentsituationforsponsors whohave notbeenliving inthe UK
Theymusthave spentthe previous 6 months working forthe same employer, howeverinthis case,itwillbe anemployerabroad Inaddition,theymusthave a job offerforsalaried ornon-salaried workinthe UK withstartdate nolaterthanthree months aftertheirreturnand anincome ofat leastthe minimum
Category B – Sponsor in the UK
Sponsors (and applicants,iftheyare lawfullyemployed inthe UK),whohave not beeninthe same salaried ornon-salaried employmentforatleastsixmonths before the application,orthose withvariable income,fallunderthis category
Twodistinctcalculations are necessaryforthis category:
Gross annualsalaryorincome atthe time ofapplication,as wellas actualpayor income earned during the previous 12 months
Bothcomputations mustrevealincome thatis more thanthe necessaryminimum
As a result,the sponsormust rstdetermine theirgross annualremuneration
Iftheyare employed ona salarybasis,theymustinclude theirgross annualwage as ofthe applicationdeadline
Iftheyworkforanemployerwhodoes notpaya salary,theymustadd up allof theirearnings fromthe time theystarted working there untilthe application deadline divide thattotalbythe numberofmonths and multiplythatresultby12 (the calculationis differentiftheyare paid weeklyordaily)
Itis possible tocombine itwithincome orsavings inCategories C,D,and E,as we willsee later,ifthe totalincome is belowthe necessarythreshold
One partycan’trelyonCategoryAwhile the otheruses CategoryBsince ifthe sponsorand applicantwanttocombine theirincome,theymustonlyuse Category B
Second,inthe 12 months before the application,the applicantand/orsponsormust determine theiractualincome (fromsalaried ornon-salaried employment) Toreach the threshold,revenue fromcategories Cand E canbe added,howeverincome fromcategories Dcannot(cashsavings)
Category B – Sponsor returning to the UK with the applicant
Inthis situation,the sponsordoes notneed tobe employed,butrathermusthave a job offerwitha gross annualstarting salary(or,inthe case ofnon-salaried employment,a gross annualincome fromthatemployment) equaltoorabove the necessarythreshold,beginning withinthree months oftheirreturn Byusing CategoryC,D,orE,the revenue maybe topped up The sponsormusthave received a gross amountofsalaryornon-salary employmentincome fromabroad inthe 12 months before the applicationthatis equaltoormore thanthe minimumthreshold CategoryCorE maybe used to supplementthis income butnotCategoryD (cashsavings)
Category C – Non-employment income
Youcanrelyonthe following sources offunding toshowthatthe minimumincome criteria are met:
Propertyleasing
Dividends orotherincome fromsecurities suchas bonds,trustfunds,orstocks and shares
Invested interest
Maintenance payments fromthe applicant’s previous spouse forthe applicantor anykids the applicantand theirex-partnerhave together Maintenance payments fromthe applicant’s partner’s formerspouse regarding thatspouse (Youwillalso be required toshowdocumentationrelated tothe previous marriage –marriage certi cate,documentationtoshowyouare legallynotmarried anymore)
UKWidowed Parent’s Allowance,MaternityAllowance,BereavementAllowance, and BereavementPayment
Payments made underthe Armed Forces CompensationScheme,the Armed Forces Attributable Bene ts Scheme,and the WarPensions Scheme Amaintenance stipend orgrant(nota loan) related toresearch,postgraduate studies,orundergraduate education
On-going premiums forinsurance
On-going payments fromroyalty
Income received fromanyofthe above sources mustbe dated within12 months from the date ofthe application
Category D – Cash savings
Cashsavings ofonlyup to£16,000 willbe considered
ExplanatoryNote:As perthe UKHome Of ce’s calculations,youcanonlyuse £16,000 fromcashsavings,formeeting the nancialrequirement
This categorycanbe combined withCategoryA,CategoryB,CategoryC,and CategoryE;however,itcannotbe coupled withCategoryB(part2,calculating past income),F,orG
According tothe de nitionof“cashsavings,”the funds mustbe keptina current, deposit,orinvestmentaccountoffered bya nancialinstitutionsubjecttothe controlofthe relevantregulatoryagencyinthe UKorabroad
The funds mustbe easilyaccessible,soa pensionfund,forinstance,would not qualifybecause the moneycannotbe withdrawnrightaway
Its crucialtokeep inmind thatthe savings mightoriginate fromanylegitimate source mustbe inthe applicants orsponsors name and musthave beenheld for atleastsixmonths Whoeverowns the funds mustsigna statementidentifying the source
Itis notnecessarytosellpriorholdings sixmonths before the application;funds previouslyheld ininvestments,stocks,shares,bonds,ortrustfunds maycountif theyare liquidated before the application The same holds ifthe funds come from the sale ofa property(dwelling orland) Documentaryproofmustbe used to demonstrate this
Category E – Pension funds
The applicant’s partnerorthe applicantmayreceive a gross yearlyincome fromany state pension(UKorforeign),occupationalpension,orprivate pensionas long as the pensionstarted as a source ofincome atleast28 days before the application
Combining this categorywithcategories A B C and Dis possible
Category F and G – self-employment and directorships
Ifthe applicantis inthe UKwithauthorisationtoworkand the sponsoris selfemployed theycanutilize income from The mostrecentcomplete scalyear(CategoryF) or The average forthe previous two scalyears (CategoryG)
Self-employed people mustuse records fromthe previous scalyear,whichinthe UKruns fromApril6 throughApril5 ofthe following year,butmaydifferinother nations
Ifyouworkfora “speci ed limited company”inthe UK,youmustalsodeclare your income underCategoryF orGifyouare eithera directororanemployee (orboth) Inessence,this refers toa familycompany Aparticularlimited companyis one that: Apersonholds shares (directlyorindirectly) ofthe company,theirpartner,oranyof the following members oftheirfamily:parent,grandparent,child,stepchild, grandchild,brother,sister,uncle,aunt,nephew,niece,or rstcousin;and a person is eithera directororemployee ofthe companyorboth;ora memberofanother companywithinthe same group;and Less than ve otherpeople (directlyorindirectly) hold the remaining shares
Spouse visa Financial Exemptions –2023
Youmightbe exempted frommeeting the spouse visa nancialrequirements,ifone of the following applies toyou:
You’re applying as a parent
Yougetcertainbene ts,suchas DisabilityLiving Allowance orCarer’s Allowance, youmaybe eligible torelocate in ve years withouthaving toful lthe minimum income criterion
Furthermore,youmustdemonstrate thatyouand yourfamilycansustainand care foryourselves suf cientlywithoutthe help ofthe government
Whathappens if you don’tmeetthe nancial requirement fora UKSpouse visa orfail to provide speci edevidence?
Notmeeting the nancialrequirements ornotproviding enoughevidence fora UK Spouse visa,mayitbe due tonotproviding the correctproofofyourincome ornot having the funds;leading toa delayinthe processing ofyourUKSpouse visa applicationora refusal
Time PeriodforDocuments
Applicants mustensure thatalldocuments are dated notmore than28 days before theymake the application
Youmightstillbe able toapplyforone orgetyourstayextended ifyouhave a kid who is a Britishcitizenorhas beena residentofthe countryforsevenyears and itwould be unfairforthemtoleave Butthatis onlyinthe case thatyouhave a child inthe UK already
This is the onlycase where youcanstillapplywithoutbeing able tomeetthe nancial requirements Ifyourcase does notmeetthese exemptions,the chances ofyourUK Spouse visa applicationgetting refused in2023 increases (inthe case ofnotproviding enoughevidence ornothaving the funds)
HowThe SmartMove2UKcan helpyou understandthe nancial requirements forUKSpouse visa?
Itis essentialtohave fullinformationonUKspouse visa before making yourapplication Requirements canbe hard tounderstand Especially nancialrequirements,whichis a crucialcriterionforanyUKvisa route
OurUKimmigrationlawyers atThe SmartMove2UKhave helped clients inunderstanding the various nancial,language and other requirements,and assisted theminmanyfamilyand partnervisas like a spouse,unmarried partner,civilpartner,same-sexpartner,and ancé visa
We have alsoassisted people fromalloverthe world whowanttoimmigrate withtheirspouses,unmarried partners,civilpartners,or same-sexpartners inapplying forsettlementvisas
Ifyouare unsure ofthe levelof nancialeligibilitythatyoumustmeetorhowtomeetthe nancialeligibilitycriteria,youcanschedule a meeting withUKimmigrationprofessionals located inMumbai,Delhiand Bengalurubycalling ormessaging onWhatsApp onthe belowgivennumber,oryoucanalsoemailus
+91 9819127002
BookyourConsultation
FAQ’S
HowmuchfundsisneededforaspousevisatotheUK?
Youand yourpartnermusthave a combined income of£18,600 annually
+91 9819127002
info@smartmove2uk.com
Whathappensifyoudon'tmeettheminimum nancialrequirementstogetaUKspousevisa?
WhatistheincomerequirementfortheUKSpousevisa?
