UK spouse visa financial requirement: the current rules

The current minimum income requirement

For new partner applications the minimum income requirement is £29,000 gross a year. It has been unchanged since 11 April 2024. The Migration Advisory Committee reviewed the threshold in 2025, but no change to the rule has been announced, so applications are decided against £29,000. Applicants who first entered the partner route before 11 April 2024 and continue with the same partner may remain subject to the transitional £18,600 minimum income requirement rather than the £29,000 requirement, depending on their circumstances. £29,000 should not be treated as applying to every existing partner-route applicant.

Ways to meet the requirement

• Salaried or waged employment of the UK sponsor (and of the applicant, if they are already in the UK with permission to work).
• Self-employment or company director income, evidenced over a full financial year.
• Non-employment income such as rental or investment income.
• Pension income.
• Cash savings: the first £16,000 is disregarded, and the shortfall in income is multiplied by 2.5. Savings alone must therefore reach £88,500, held for at least six months.

Sponsors who are exempt

Where the sponsor receives certain disability or carer benefits — for example Carer's Allowance, Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance or Armed Forces Independence Payment — the £29,000 figure does not apply. Instead the couple must show adequate maintenance and accommodation without further recourse to public funds.

Evidence matters as much as the figure

Most financial refusals are about evidence rather than income: payslips that do not match bank statements, the wrong period of documents, or missing employer letters. The Appendix FM-SE evidence rules are strict and are applied literally.

Fees

From 8 April 2026 the application fee for a partner visa from outside the UK is £2,064, and the fee for applying from inside the UK is £1,407. The Immigration Health Surcharge of £1,035 per year is payable on top for most applicants.

Figures checked against GOV.UK and legislation.gov.uk on 3 October 2026. Fees and rules change; always confirm the current position on GOV.UK before applying.