There are a number of ways in which you can meet the financial requirements for a UK Spouse Visa:
Income from employment. If you wish to use your income as well as your partner’s then you must have lawfully earned it in the UK (i.e. had the right to work in the UK).
Income from self-employment or income from being a director or employee of a limited company. If you wish to use your income as well as your partner’s then you must have lawfully earned it in the UK (i.e. had the right to work in the UK).
Cash savings over £16,000 held by you or your partner (or a child dependent relative over 18) for at least 6 months prior to the application. If you wish to solely rely on cash savings to meet the minimum income requirement for the UK Spouse Visa, then you must have at least £62,500.
Money from a pension (state, occupational or private) in either your name or your partner’s.
Non-employment income (i.e. property rentals, dividends, interest from savings).
The following sources of income cannot be used to contribute to the UK Spouse Visa financial requirement:
Subsidies or financial support from third parties.
Income from other people who live in the household (unless it comes from a dependent child of the applicant who is over 18 years old and is still counted towards the applicant's higher income threshold until they become eligible for settlement.
Loans and credit facilities.
Income-related benefits.
Certain contributory benefits.
Child Benefit.
Working Tax Credit.
Universal Credit.
Unemployability Allowance, Allowance for a Lowered Standard of Occupation and Invalidity Allowance under the War Pensions Scheme.
When applying for a UK Spouse Visa, you will be required to provide evidence that you meet the minimum income requirement. Head over to this link to find out how you can prove that you meet the requirement. Please be aware that the documents and pieces of evidence which you will be required to provide are dependent on how you intend to meet the minimum income requirement.
Just to give you an idea as to what can be provided to prove that you meet the Spouse Visa financial requirement, the following can be used (this is not an exhaustive list):
Bank statements showing proof of income.
6 months worth of payslips.
A letter from your employer (this must be dated and on headed paper).
This letter should confirm that you or your partner is employed there, what your position is, and how long you have worked there. The letter should also say what kind of contract you or your partner is on, your salary before tax and National Insurance, how long you have received this salary for and that your payslips are genuine.
The Spouse Visa financial requirement exemptions are based on the circumstance of your partner. To be exempt from the UK spouse visa financial requirement, your partner will need to receive any one of the following benefits or allowances in the UK. Please note that this is not a full exemption from the UK spouse visa financial requirement, rather in these circumstances, you will need to still show evidence of having ‘adequate maintenance’:
Carer’s Allowance
Disability Living Allowance
Severe Disablement Allowance
Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
Attendance Independence Payment
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
Policy Injury Pension
Yes, you can apply for a Spouse Visa if your partner is self-employed.
As per the Immigration Rules, a gross annual income of at least £18,600 will apply - with this figure rising by £3,800 for the first child and an additional £2,400 for each additional child.
There are two ways in which the financial requirements can be satisfied through self-employment:
Category F: Income from the last full financial year.
Category G: Average income from the last 2 full financial years.
If you don’t meet the financial requirements for a Spouse Visa, then you may still be eligible to make an application provided that there are exceptional circumstances. If you do not meet the financial requirements for a Spouse Visa but wish to make an application, please speak to an expert immigration lawyer to see whether you are still eligible to apply.
The minimum salary requirement of £18,600 is before tax.
Under the previous system of Immigration Rules, an applicant for a UK spouse visa needed to satisfy a ‘maintenance’ requirement which showed that they would be adequately supported in the UK without having any ‘recourse to public funds’. When deciding whether an applicant satisfied this criteria, the Home Office would assess whether the income available to them in the household, after taking into account housing costs, would exceed the amount that they would receive if they were on a UK benefit known as income support. This was a relatively low threshold. In addition, as well as being able to rely upon the income received by the UK spouse, it was possible to rely upon support that was promised to the couple by third parties (such as family members who promised to give the applicant a certain sum every month) and prospective job offers in the UK that the applicant had received.