The financial requirement is the most common ground on which a UK Partner Visa application is refused. It sets a minimum level of income or savings that a couple must show under Appendix FM, and it can be met in more than one way. The right way depends on where the couple’s money comes from, and choosing the wrong route, or evidencing it incorrectly, can lead to a lost fee and delay. This post provides an overview of the routes to meeting the financial requirement for a UK Partner Visa.
What is the financial requirement for a UK Partner Visa?
The financial requirement is the minimum level of income or savings a couple must show to qualify for a partner visa under Appendix FM. It applies to the Spouse, Fiancé, Unmarried Partner and Civil Partner routes, and it is tested again at the extension and settlement stages. The rule exists so that the couple can support themselves in the UK without relying on public funds.
The minimum income figure is £29,000 per annum. The way it is calculated is covered in our UK Spouse and Partner Visa financial requirement guide. The evidence each income category requires is set out in Appendix FM-SE of the Immigration Rules, which specifies the documents and the time periods they must cover. The income category a couple uses is decided by the source of their income or funds, not by preference.
Which financial requirement route applies to your situation?
The route depends on where the sponsor’s, and sometimes the applicant’s, income or funds come from. Appendix FM-SE divides qualifying income into categories, and each category has its own evidence rules. A couple identifies the category that matches their finances, then meets the evidence specified for it.
The main routes are employment income, self-employment or company director income, non-employment income, cash savings and pension income. More than one source can be combined in many cases, subject to limits. The sections below set out each route in turn, with a link to the dedicated guide that covers its evidence in full. The route a couple uses is set by the source of their income or funds, so matching the finances to the right category comes before any documents are gathered.
Can you meet it through employment income?
Employment income is the most common route, and it covers a sponsor or applicant, where the applicant is employed in the UK. Where the person has worked for the same employer for at least six months, the application uses what Appendix FM-SE calls Category A, based on current salaried earnings. The evidential requirement, including payslips and bank statements, is set out in the employment income guide.
Where the person has been with their employer for less than six months, or the income varies from month to month, the application instead uses Category B. This route looks at earnings over the previous 12 months as well as current income. Variable hours, recent job changes and non-salaried work are covered in the variable and non-salaried employment income guide. The category is set by the employment pattern, so identifying it correctly is the first step.
Can you meet it through self-employment or as a company director?
Self-employment and company director income form a separate route with stricter evidence rules. A sole trader or partner in a business uses the self-employment route, which assesses income from the last full financial year. The required documents, including tax returns and business records, are covered in the self-employment income guide.
A person who draws income from their own limited company is treated as a director rather than an employee, even where they pay themselves a salary. This route combines company accounts with personal income evidence, and it is set out in the director income guide. Both routes are tied to a defined financial year, so timing the application around the company’s accounts matters.
Can you meet it through non-employment income?
Non-employment income covers regular income that does not come from a job, such as rent from property or income from investments. This route, known as Category C, can be used on its own or alongside employment or pension income. The qualifying sources and the evidence each requires are set out in the non-employment income guide.
The income must be the applicant’s or the sponsor’s own, and it must be evidenced for the relevant period under Appendix FM-SE. Not every form of income qualifies, and the rules on what counts are specific. A couple with rental or investment income should confirm it falls within Category C before relying on it.
Can you meet it through cash savings?
Cash savings are a route in their own right, for couples who can meet the requirement from held funds rather than income. The savings must have been held for a set period and be under the applicant’s or sponsor’s control. The level of savings needed is higher than the income figure, and both are covered in our cash savings requirement guide.
Savings are often used where a sponsor is between jobs, recently returned to the UK, or unable to meet the income route alone. They can also top up income that falls short, as covered in the section on combining sources below. The funds must be evidenced in the form Appendix FM-SE prescribes, including their source where required.
Can you meet it through pension income?
Pension income is a qualifying route where the applicant or sponsor receives a state, occupational or private pension. The pension must have become payable before the date of application, and it is evidenced for the period the rules specify. The detail is set out in the pension income guide.
Pension income can meet the requirement on its own where it is high enough, or be combined with other sources. It is a route that often suits older sponsors or those who have retired. The figure required is the same minimum income level that applies across the income routes, published on the financial requirement guide.
Can you combine different income sources?
Different income sources can be combined in many cases, which allows a couple to meet the requirement where no single source is enough on its own. Employment income can be added to non-employment income, pension income or savings, subject to the combination rules in Appendix FM-SE. The permitted and prohibited combinations are set out in the guide to combining income sources.
Some combinations are not permitted, and Category B employment income cannot be combined with savings in the same way as Category A. A sponsor returning to the UK to take up a job faces particular rules, covered in the returning sponsors guide. Where a couple is unsure which combination works, confirming it before gathering documents avoids assembling evidence for the wrong route.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Employment is only one of several routes. The financial requirement can also be met through self-employment or director income, non-employment income such as rent, cash savings, pension income, or a permitted combination of these. The right route depends on the couple’s own finances rather than on having a salaried job.
There is no single easiest route, because the simplest one is the route that matches the couple’s actual income. Salaried employment held for over six months under Category A is often the most straightforward to document. A couple should choose the route their finances fit, then follow the evidence rules for it precisely.
Yes. The financial requirement is tested at the initial application, at the extension after two and a half years, and again at settlement. The route used can change between stages if the couple’s finances change. Each application is assessed against the requirement in force at the time.
In some cases. Where the applicant is in the UK with permission to work, their income may be counted alongside the sponsor’s. An applicant applying from outside the UK generally cannot rely on their own overseas employment income. The rules on whose income counts are set out in Appendix FM-SE.
An application that does not meet the financial requirement, or does not evidence it in the form the rules require, may be refused. Where this happens, the couple can reapply once the requirement can be met and evidenced correctly. Identifying the right route and evidence before applying reduces this risk.
How Whytecroft Ford can help
The Whytecroft Ford immigration team advises applicants and sponsors across the family visa routes, including the Spouse Visa and the other partner routes under Appendix FM. The firm reviews a couple’s finances, identifies the correct route, and confirms the evidence before the application is assembled. This is particularly valuable for the sponsor who is self-employed, recently returned to the UK, or relying on a combination of income and savings.
To discuss your financial requirement route with our immigration team, call 0208 757 5751 or use the contact form.
Sources
- Immigration Rules Appendix FM-SE: family members specified evidence – GOV.UK
- Immigration Rules Appendix FM: family members – GOV.UK
Written and reviewed by the Whytecroft Ford immigration team. IAA Accredited. All guidance is researched against primary sources, including the Immigration Rules, Home Office caseworker guidance and GOV.UK. Reviewed every six months, or sooner following a rule change.
