What are the financial requirements for UK Spouse Visa?

What are the nancial requirement for UK spouse visa – updated 2022

UKFamilyMigrationVisas | 8 minRead

OurUKvisa experts have received manyqueries online withthe searchterm,‘marriage visa nancialrequirement‘or‘nancialrequirementfora UKSpouse visa application’ If you ’ re applying as a couple,yoursponsormustearnatleast£18,600 annually,orthe sponsorand applicantifthe applicantis inthe UKwithpermissiontowork.

As perthe ImmigrationRules’AppendixFMlists the minimalnancialstandards must be metforentryclearance orpermissiontoremain This article’s focus is onthe nancial requirementforUKspouse visa

Among the various documentationand language requirements forUKspouse visa 2022, meeting the nancialrequirementforUKSpouse visa is one ofthe trickiestaspects of applying as a spouse orpartner

Here’s a UKSpouse visa Application–FinancialrequirementGuide 2022 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 proofofnancialsubsistence and documents toprove nancial subsistence fora UKSpouse visa?

Whatis considered ‘income’?

Proofofincome

Whatifyou/yourpartnerearnless than£18,600?

Differentways tomeetnancialrequirements

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 –2022

Whathappens ifyoudon’tmeetthe nancialrequirementfora UKSpouse visa or failtoprovide specied evidence?

Doyouneed help? FAQ’s

UKSpouse visa nancial requirementchecklist

Ifyouare applying as a couple and wishtoobtain“indenite leave toremain”withinve

years inthe UK,the sponsormustearnatleast£18,600 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:

£3800 –as anannualcostforyourrstchild £2400 –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 aboutnancialsubsistence forthe UKSpouse visa Itcanhelp tounderstand the rightrequirements and knowimportanttips tomake a successfulUKSpouse visa application

Here,proofofnancialsubsistence means showing specied evidence toprove youcan supportyourselfnanciallyinthe 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

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 mostrecentnancialyear 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 dened as workthatis paid onanhourlybasis orat anotherrate (withthe numberand/orpatternofhours required tobe worked being exible)

The sponsor ’ s 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 sponsormustrstdetermine 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 certicate,documentationtoshowyouare legallynotmarried anymore)

UKWidowed Parents Allowance MaternityAllowance BereavementAllowance and BereavementPayment

Payments made underthe Armed Forces CompensationScheme the Armed Forces Attributable Benets 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 Ofce’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 denitionof“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

It’s crucialtokeep inmind thatthe savings mightoriginate fromanylegitimate source,mustbe inthe applicant’s orsponsor ’ s 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 twoscalyears (CategoryG) Self-employed people mustuse records fromthe previous scalyear,whichinthe UKruns fromApril6 throughApril5 ofthe following year,butmaydifferinother nations

Ifyouworkfora “specied 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,orrstcousin;and a person is eithera directororemployee ofthe companyorboth;ora memberofanother companywithinthe same group;and Less thanve otherpeople (directlyorindirectly) hold the remaining shares

Spouse visa Financial Exemptions –2022

Youmightbe exempted frommeeting the spouse visa nancialrequirements ifone of the following applies toyou:

You’re applying as a parent

Yougetcertainbenets,suchas DisabilityLiving Allowance orCarer’s Allowance, youmaybe eligible torelocate inve years withouthaving tofullthe minimum income criterion

Furthermore,youmustdemonstrate thatyouand yourfamilycansustainand care foryourselves sufcientlywithoutthe help ofthe government

Acaseworkerconsiders yourincome and housing expenses

Guidance onUKSpouse Visa ExtensionDocuments:Read here

Whathappens if you don’tmeetthe nancial requirement fora UKSpouse visa orfail to provide speciedevidence?

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 in2022 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 Especiallynancialrequirements,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 levelofnancialeligibilitythatyoumustmeetorhowtomeetthe nancialeligibilitycriteria,youcanschedule a meeting withUKimmigrationprofessionals located inMumbai,Delhiand Bengalurubycalling ormessaging onWhatsApp onthe belowgivennumber,oryoucanalsoemailus +91 9819127002 +91 9819127002 BookyourConsultation info@smartmove2uk.com

FAQ’S

HowmuchfundsisneededforaspousevisatotheUK? Youand yourpartnermusthave a combined income of£18,600 annually

Whathappensifyoudon'tmeettheminimumnancialrequirementstogetaUKspousevisa?

HowmuchdoyouhavetoearntogetaUKPartnervisa?

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