Individuals seeking to join their family members in the UK must now meet an income requirement of £29,000 per annum. This requirement, known as the Minimum Income Requirement (MIR), no longer requires a higher income threshold when child dependents are included in the application. This post dives into the sources of income that can be combined to meet the financial requirements for a Partner Visa.
It is worth noting that individuals who were granted leave under the 5-year route before 11 April 2024, when the MIR was increased from £18,600 to £29,000, may still be eligible to apply under the previous criteria set out in Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules.
Eligible Income Sources for UK Partner Visa
The following are the categories of income that can be used to meet the financial requirements for a Partner Visa:
Category A: Employment for more than 6 months
The sponsor (and/or the applicant, if they are in the UK and authorized to work) must have been employed with the same employer for at least 6 months and earned the required minimum income during this time. They are required to have received a gross annual salary at or above the specified level throughout the 6 months immediately preceding the date of the application.
A British sponsor returning to the UK with the applicant must meet the additional requirement of securing a confirmed job offer in the UK that commences within 3 months of their return.
Category B: Employment for less than 6 months
If the sponsor and/or applicant has been employed for less than 6 months or has not earned the required income level for at least 6 months before the application, they must meet the financial requirement under Category B income.
This requirement must be demonstrated in two parts: First, if the applicant’s partner and/or the applicant (if they are in the UK with permission to work) is employed at the date of application and has been with the same employer, or earning the relied-upon amount, for less than 6 months, they can count their gross annual salary at the date of application towards meeting the financial requirement. Second, they must also have received the required level of income in the 12 months preceding the application date.
When the British sponsor is returning to the UK with the applicant to work, they do not need to be employed at the date of application to rely on Category B. Instead, the financial requirement must be met in two parts: First, the applicant’s partner must have a confirmed offer of salaried or non-salaried employment in the UK, set to commence within 3 months of their return. Second, the couple must have received the required level of income in the 12 months preceding the application date to meet the financial requirement.
Category C: Non-employment income
The specified non-employment income which the applicant’s partner and/or the applicant have received in the 12 months before the date of application can be counted towards the financial requirement. This includes (but is not limited to) income from:
- Property rental;
- Dividends or other income from investments, stocks and shares, bonds or trust funds; and
- Interest from savings.
Category D: Cash Savings
Cash savings above £16,000 may be used towards the minimum income requirement. The amount that can be counted towards the MIR is calculated by taking the amount over £16,000 and dividing it by 2.5.
For example, if you have £25,000 in savings, you can count £3,600 towards your income requirement (£25,000 – £16,000 = £9,000; £9,000 ÷ 2.5 = £3,600).
You will need £88,500 to satisfy the income requirement solely with cash savings.
Category E: Pension
The gross annual income from any State (UK Basic State Pension and Additional or Second State Pension, HM Forces Pension or foreign), occupational or private pension received by the applicant’s partner or the applicant can be counted towards the financial requirement under Category E.
Category F: Self-employment and directorships
Where the applicant’s partner (and/or the applicant if they are in the UK with permission to work) is in self-employment or is either the director or employee (or both) of a specified limited company in the UK, at the date of application, they can use income from the last full financial year to meet the financial requirement.
Category G: Self-employment and directorships
This is essentially the same as Category F but allows you to use an average of the income received over the last two full financial years to meet the minimum income requirement.
Income Sources That Can Be Combined For UK Partner Visa
If your total Category A income is below the minimum requirement for a spouse or partner visa, you can combine it with income from Categories C (non-employment income), D (cash savings), and E (pension) to meet the requirement.
Category A can also be combined with Categories F and G (Self-employment and directorships), but only for the relevant financial year(s).
Category B income can be combined with the same sources as Category A. However, Category B cannot be combined with Category D (cash savings) in certain circumstances.
Income Sources That Cannot Be Combined For UK Partner Visa
The following income sources cannot be combined to meet the financial requirements for a Partner & Family Visa:
- Categories A and B: You cannot combine income from Category A and Category B. If both you and your partner are employed in the UK, your incomes can only be combined if both fall under the same category.
- Category B and Cash Savings: At stage 2 of Category B, where income earned over the past 12 months is assessed, cash savings cannot be used to meet the requirement.
- Cash Savings Category D with Self-Employment or Limited Company Income: Cash savings cannot be combined with self-employment income or with income from employment as a director or employee of a specified limited company under Category F or G.
- Different Financial Years: Income from different financial years cannot be combined. For example, income from salaried employment in one financial year cannot be combined with self-employment income from a different year.
Example Scenario: Combine Income For UK Partner Visa
Let’s consider an example to illustrate how to combine different income sources:
Sarah is applying for a Partner visa from within the UK. She has permission to work a full-time job earning £24,000 per year. Her partner, John, is self-employed and has a net profit of £5,000 from his business. They also have £10,000 in savings.
In this scenario, Sarah and John successfully meet the MIR by combining their incomes from salaried and self-employment. They have £10,000 in savings, which does not contribute to the MIR since it is below £16,000.
How we can help
For advice or assistance on your UK Partner visa application from our experienced immigration team, contact us on +44 208 757 5751 or use our contact form.
Frequently asked questions
Salaried employment means employment paid at a minimum fixed rate (usually annual) and is subject (usually) to a contractual minimum number of hours to be worked (paragraph 18(d), Appendix FM-SE).
Non-salaried employment means a salary which is paid at an hourly rate and where the level of work is not guaranteed. This includes, for example, zero-hours contracts.
