A UK Partner or Spouse Visa sponsor may be retired, between jobs, or living on savings and investments. A sponsor in this position has no salary to count toward the £29,000 financial requirement, which can make it appear out of reach. The requirement can still be met without employment income, from cash savings, pension income or non-employment income such as property rent, held by either partner. This post provides an overview of how to meet the financial requirement for a UK Partner or Spouse Visa where the sponsor is not working.
Can you get a UK Spouse Visa if the sponsor is not working?
Yes. A sponsor who is not working can still meet the financial requirement, known as the minimum income requirement. The same rules apply to a UK Spouse Visa and an Unmarried Partner Visa. It can be met from cash savings, pension income, or non-employment income such as dividends, interest or property rent. Any of these can be used on their own or in combination. Each source sits in its own evidence category in Appendix FM-SE. The minimum income requirement is £29,000 per annum. Other income categories are explained on our Spouse and Partner Visa Financial Requirement guide. The three categories that a non-working sponsor may rely on are cash savings (Category D), pension income (Category E) and non-employment income (Category C).
Two limitations apply when choosing income categories:
- Only cash savings above £16,000 count toward the requirement; the first £16,000 is disregarded.
- Cash savings can be combined with pension income and non-employment income, but not with self-employment income or with income from employment as a director of a specified limited company.
Whose income and savings count when the sponsor has no job?
The qualifying funds can come from either partner. This is why the non-salary routes work even where the sponsor has no income. On an application for entry clearance from outside the UK, the applicant’s own earnings from overseas employment cannot be counted. Cash savings, pension income and non-employment income are treated differently:
- Cash savings can be held by the applicant, the sponsor, or both jointly.
- A pension in payment counts whether it belongs to the applicant or the sponsor.
- Non-employment income counts whether it is received by the applicant or the sponsor.
Where the applicant is already in the UK with permission to work, the applicant’s UK employment income can also be counted.
Evidence rules that apply to all income types
Appendix FM-SE sets general rules that apply whichever source the couple rely on. These rules apply on top of the financial figure. An application that omits a specified document may be refused even where the funds are sufficient.
- Account names. Personal bank statements must be in the name of the applicant, the sponsor, or both jointly.
- Statement format. Statements must be on official bank stationery, or, if printed, be accompanied by a letter from the bank on headed paper confirming they are authentic or carry the bank’s stamp on every page.
- The 28-day rule. Where evidence covers a period ending on the date of application, the most recent part must be dated no earlier than 28 days before the application.
- Foreign currency. Income or savings held in a foreign currency are converted to pounds sterling using the exchange rate specified in Appendix FM-SE.
- Translations. Any document not in English must be accompanied by a full, dated translation showing the translator’s name, signature and contact details.
Meeting the requirement through cash savings (Category D)
Cash savings alone can meet the requirement where the couple hold at least £88,500. This is the cash savings route, set out at Category D and specified in Appendix FM-SE paragraphs 11 and 11A. The figure is the £16,000 baseline plus the £29,000 requirement multiplied by 2.5 over the 30-month visa period.
Requirements:
- The savings must be held in cash in a current, deposit or investment account with a regulated financial institution.
- The account must allow the money to be withdrawn immediately, even if a penalty applies for withdrawing without notice.
- The savings must be held in the name of the applicant, the sponsor, or both jointly.
- The savings must have been held for at least six months before the date of application.
- Where the funds come from the recent sale of a property, or a transfer from investments, stocks or shares within that six months, they can still count, but the earlier ownership must be evidenced and the six-month period is adjusted accordingly.
Documents you must provide:
- Personal bank statements showing that at least the level of savings relied upon was held throughout the six months before the application.
- A written declaration by the account holder or holders of the source of the savings.
- Where the money came from a property sale: proof of ownership before the sale (Land Registry title register or title deeds), a letter from the conveyancing solicitor confirming the sale price, a letter from the lender on any mortgage repaid, and confirmation that associated taxes and fees were paid.
- Where the money was transferred from investments: a portfolio report or equivalent from a regulated financial institution evidencing the earlier ownership, the cash value and the transfer into cash.
The full rules on qualifying accounts are set out on the UK Spouse Visa cash savings guide.
Meeting the requirement through pension income (Category E)
A pension in payment can count in full toward the £29,000. This is pension income, evidenced under Appendix FM-SE paragraph 10(e). It covers a state, occupational or private pension received by either the applicant or the sponsor.
Requirements:
- The pension must have become payable before the date of application.
- The gross annual amount of the pension is the figure that counts toward the requirement.
- A pension held by either partner qualifies, and it can be used alone or combined with savings or non-employment income.
Documents you must provide:
- Official documentation confirming the pension entitlement and the amount, from the Department for Work and Pensions, an overseas pension authority, or the pension provider.
- At least one personal bank statement from the 12 months before the application showing the pension being paid into the account.
How a pension is calculated and combined is set out on the pension income for a Spouse or Partner Visa guide.
Meeting the requirement through non-employment income (Category C)
Income that does not come from employment or self-employment can also count. This is non-employment income, evidenced under Appendix FM-SE paragraph 10, and it includes rent from a property, dividends from shares, and interest from savings. The income must have been received in the 12 months before the application.
Requirements:
- The income must be received by the applicant, the sponsor, or both.
- A let property must not be the couple’s main home.
- The gross amount received in the 12 months before the application is the figure that counts.
Documents you must provide, by type of income:
Property rental income:
- Proof of ownership of the let property, through the Land Registry title register or title deeds, or a mortgage statement.
- A rental agreement or contract.
- Personal bank statements for the 12 months before the application showing the rent being received.
Dividends or other investment income:
- A certificate showing ownership and the amount of the investment.
- A portfolio report from a regulated financial institution, or a dividend voucher showing the company, the person and the net dividend.
- Personal bank statements for the 12 months before the application showing the income being received.
Interest from savings:
- Personal bank statements for the 12 months before the application showing the amount of savings held and the interest being paid in.
The way property income is treated is set out on the property rental income guide, and the wider category on the non-employment income guide.
Combining savings, pension and non-employment income
These sources can be combined where none of them meets the £29,000 on its own. Cash savings above the £16,000 baseline are converted to an income figure. The surplus is divided across the 30-month visa period, and the result is added to any pension or non-employment income. A sponsor might have a modest pension and a lump sum of savings, or rental income and savings together. Either combination can meet the requirement where neither source would be enough alone. The permitted combinations, and the sources that cannot be added to cash savings, are set out on the combining income sources guide.
In Practice
The scenarios below are anonymised and illustrative.
A sponsor who had retired relied on a private pension of £2,000 a month, giving £24,000 a year. The shortfall against the £29,000 was covered by holding £12,500 in cash savings above the £16,000 baseline. That surplus converted to the additional income needed over the visa period. The application met the requirement on pension and savings combined, evidenced under Category E and Category D.
A sponsor who was not working held no regular income. The couple had £91,000 in a joint savings account, held for eight months. The application met the requirement through the cash savings route alone, above the £88,500 figure.
A sponsor who had stopped work owned a let property producing £14,000 a year in rent and held £40,000 in savings. The rental income and the converted savings surplus together exceeded the requirement, and the application was evidenced under Category C and Category D.
Frequently asked questions
Can a UK Spouse Visa sponsor be unemployed? Yes. The financial requirement can be met without any employment income, using cash savings, pension income or non-employment income. The sponsor’s employment status does not decide the application; the level and evidence of the qualifying funds do.
Can the applicant’s savings be used if the sponsor is not working? Yes. Cash savings can be held by the applicant, the sponsor or both jointly, so a non-working sponsor can rely on the applicant’s savings or the couple’s combined savings, provided they have been held for at least six months.
Does the sponsor need to be working for the extension or for settlement? No. The same non-salary routes apply at the extension stage and at indefinite leave to remain. The requirement is tested again at each stage, and can again be met through savings, pension or non-employment income.
Can rental income from an overseas property count? Yes. Non-employment income can include rent from a property held abroad, provided it is not the couple’s main home and the ownership, the rental agreement and the receipt of the income are evidenced as Appendix FM-SE requires.
How long must cash savings be held before applying? The savings must generally have been held for at least six months before the date of application. Funds from the recent sale of a property or a transfer from investments can be an exception, where the earlier ownership and source are evidenced.
How Whytecroft Ford Can Help
Meeting the financial requirement without a salary depends on choosing the right category and evidencing it in the exact form Appendix FM-SE sets. This is where applications relying on savings, pensions or rental income are most often let down. The Whytecroft Ford immigration team advises sponsors who are retired, between roles or living on investment income. The team helps structure and evidence a Spouse Visa application under Appendix FM. To discuss your application with our team, call 0208 757 5751 or use the contact form.
Sources
- GOV.UK, Immigration Rules Appendix FM-SE: family members specified evidence (paragraphs 1, 10, 11 and 11A)
- GOV.UK, Immigration Rules Appendix FM: family members
