Spouse Visa Financial Requirement

UK law establishes a financial requirement for a spouse visa. To complete the necessary documents, the spouse or partner of a British citizen will need to prove their financial solvency. Next, we will talk about the requirements for the amount and sources of income of persons who intend to obtain a UK Spouse Visa.

What are the Spouse Visa financial requirements?

An applicant may submit documentation for a partner or spouse visa to join a partner or spouse in the UK. For an application to be accepted, a person must meet several financial criteria. The country’s legislation sets a minimum income threshold for a visa applicant. These rules do not apply to cases of tax exemption.

If the visa application is made without dependent children, the individual’s starting annual income is £18,600. This application is prepared in accordance with Appendix FM.

If there are differences, other spouse visa income requirements are allocated. If a spouse has one supported child, the minimum amount increases by a further £3,800. If the applicant has more than one dependent, the initial income amount increases by £2,400 for each additional child.

Additional funds for children are not charged if:

Children are not permanently resident in the UK.
Children have no pre-established status.
Children do not have Irish or British citizenship.

A person has the right to apply for a spouse visa if he has multiple sources of income. It is possible to satisfy the financial needs of an individual through a combination of a number of sources of income. A citizen’s income such as wages at work, self-employment, pension income, earnings outside employment, and savings in the amount of up to 16,000 pounds sterling can be considered acceptable.

The applicant has the right to have his own income, which he receives in the UK. This is assessed from a positive point of view because it allows you to increase the total family income.

In some cases, the entity may be exempt from making financial claims. Officials reviewing visa applications take into account specific sources of income. An application may be submitted in special cases. The document is accepted for consideration if a citizen lost income after the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic or was fired from a hired position in an organization.

Eligible sources of income for the minimum income threshold

We will point out possible options for making a profit that can be considered when compiling information about the financial situation of a candidate for a British visa. Unofficially, all types of income are divided into two large categories.

Employment Income

Revenue from employment can be of the following types:

The applicant’s salary in the UK, subject to prior registration of a work permit.
A job offer in the UK with a minimum wage.
Salary payable to the UK Spouse Visa Sponsor.
Income from self-employment as a partner, franchise member, entrepreneur.
Dividends from an unspecified or listed company.
Financial savings. Savings can be used to lower or reach the income threshold.
Property rent.
State and private pension contributions.

If a person uses earnings from employment or self-employment to prove their financial position, they must certify that their partner also receives these earnings for at least six months.

Non-Employment Income

Non-employment income including:

Deductions from dividends, stocks, bonds and funds. This category includes securities of unspecified limited liability companies.
Grants and scholarships for scientific research during postgraduate and undergraduate studies.
Benefits and allowances. This group includes benefits for widowed parents and maternity benefits.
Systematic royalty payments.
Interest on savings.
Military pensions and other benefits.
Payments as part of legal dispute resolution.
Deductions based on the insurance contract.

What income is not taken into account?

To obtain a spousal visa, the following income of the subject cannot be taken into consideration:

Financial support from third parties. Exceptions to the rule are scholarships, grants, alimony, and gifts in the form of monetary savings.
Bank loans.
Income from persons living in the same household as the applicant.
Benefits received from income such as housing allowances, tax breaks, loans for pensioners.
Child benefit, disability and disability benefits, unemployment benefits.

Is it possible to combine sources of profit?

Spouse visa applicants may combine income categories. In some cases, this helps to reach the minimum threshold set by the state to confirm financial status.

The country’s legislation sets out strict rules and conditions for pooling profits. Only certain types of categories are allowed to be connected. Lawyers point to the high complexity of the procedure for combining income of individuals. Legislative parameters and requirements may change, which entails a significant loss of precious time.

What are the financial requirements for a Spouse Visa if I am applying with dependents?

If a financial requirement spouse visa extension is intended, if the applicant has dependent children, a special procedure applies. The starting earnings threshold is being raised to £18,600.

For a spouse visa with children, a supplement of £3,800 applies for the first child. If there are more dependents, an additional payment of £2,400 will be introduced for each additional dependent.

Therefore, if there is no dependent child, the visa applicant’s minimum income amount is £18,600. If you have one child, this amount rises to £22,400. If the spouse has two children, the minimum income threshold reaches £24,800. If you have three children, this increases to £27,200.

The rule on increasing the minimum amount of earnings applies in the following situations:

The child will be living in the UK and is applying as a dependent at the same time as the main applicant.
The child will be living in the UK and is applying as a dependent after the main applicant has been granted a visa.
The applicant’s spouse lives in the UK and provides financial assistance for the maintenance of the child.
The legislation provides for an exception to the general rule when the minimum profit is not increased. This happens if there is:
- Children with UK or EEA citizenship.
- Children living in the UK.
- Children with the right to an indefinite entry permit.

What documents can be used to prove the financial requirement for a Spouse Visa?

According to spouse visa financial requirement guidance, there is a list of documents that should be provided to certify financial requirements. Among them:

Electronic bank statements. Documents must be issued on the credit institution’s letterhead to prove their authenticity.
Letters from banks, financial institutions on the letterhead of these enterprises.
Employer payslips for the last 6 months.
A letter from the employer on company letterhead indicating the date of preparation. The document records the position, duration of work, type of contract (permanent or fixed-term), amount of income before taxes.

All documents are provided in English or Welsh. If the original is in another language, the applicant will need to prepare a translation and have it certified.

Spouse Visa financial requirement exemptions

The main applicant on a spouse visa or his partner (sponsor) can receive the following government benefits in the UK:

Personal independence fee.
Disability benefits.
Police injury pension.
Care payments.
Compensation for work injury.
Payment for the independence of the Armed Forces.
Payments due to loss.

If these preferential deductions are available, the applicant must prepare documentary evidence of “adequate maintenance” for himself and his dependents. Your partner visa application will require the following:

Information from the relevant government agency that calculates and pays benefits. Officials must confirm current entitlement to payments and their amount.
At least one bank statement for the last year. This period is counted from the moment the application for a visa is submitted. An extract from the credit institution must prove the fact that compensation was transferred to the citizen’s personal account.

What If I can’t meet the minimum income threshold?

If the applicant’s income does not meet the minimum requirements, then he has a chance to apply for a visa. This is possible provided that the second spouse or partner has sufficient funds. At the same time, the rule on settling in the country after 5 years will apply.

Persons are not required to comply with profit rules if they:

Submitting an application as a parent.
They are recipients of a number of benefits, benefits, and compensation.
Have a child living in the UK with the status of a citizen of this state, who has been living in the country for at least 7 years.
Confirmed the high likelihood of significant difficulties arising during separation if one of the spouses is located outside the UK.
Proved the presence of other exceptional circumstances that entail serious consequences for spouses or their children if a visa is refused.

The income and expenses of applicants are verified by an authorized social worker. The specialist makes sure that the spouses have enough financial resources to fully provide for the family. Individuals must prove that they do not require constant deductions of public funds to fully reside in the country.

The final decision on citizens’ applications is made by specific employees of the authorized government body. Lawyers cannot guarantee a visa if you do not have the required amount of income.

In some cases, officials may allow the applicant to use other reliable sources of income. Also in practice, situations arose when employees reduced the minimum amount of profit in the presence of objective reasons.

It must be remembered that an application for a partner visa without a minimum income is approved subject to a number of conditions. In particular, a citizen can receive the 10-year route to indefinite leave. In normal situations, citizens receive the standard 5-year route.

How can we help?

Among the advantages of contacting professional lawyers from Sterling Law regarding obtaining a spousal visa:

Extensive experience in advising citizens and organizations in the field of immigration.
Saving client money and time.
Knowledge of current UK legislation.
A well-established procedure for interaction with officials responsible for receiving and processing visa applications.
Guarantee of confidentiality of clients’ personal data.
Assistance in collecting documentary evidence of earnings.
Monitoring the correctness of document execution.

To obtain advice from an expert on immigration issues, contact us by contact number or on the company website.