During the ongoing COVID crisis, migrant families in the UK are struggling to meet the strict minimum financial requirements of family visas for entry clearance and further leave to remain, especially spouses who have lost their jobs or have been furloughed.
Until 8 June 2020, there was no published concession for people in this situation. There is now a section of the guidance on changes to the minimum income and adequate maintenance requirement.
This concession initially applied only for loss of income up to 31 August, but was extended to 1 January 2021 on 16 October.
Further information can be found on page 69 of the Appendix FM 1.7: financial requirement guidance. It says that:
- a temporary loss of employment income between 1 March and 1 January 2021 due to COVID-19, will be disregarded provided the minimum income requirement was met for at least 6 months immediately prior to the date the income was lost – this is for a loss of employment income between 1 March 2020 to 1 January 2021 due to COVID-19 an applicant or sponsor furloughed under the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will be deemed as earning 100% of their salary
- a temporary loss of annual income due to COVID-19 between 1 March 2020 and 1 January 2021 will generally be disregarded for self-employment income, along with the impact on employment income from the same period for future applications.
- evidential flexibility may be applied where an applicant or sponsor experiences difficulty accessing specified evidence due to COVID-19 restrictions
For a free initial assessment of your case, please contact our team on 0208757571 or fill in our free assessment form.
